Portugal moved down the African coast, Senegal, Ghana, Benin, Angola. Forts like Elmina Castle rose, smiling with stone walls but hiding dark intentions.

At first, trade was friendly.

Then it became greedy.

Then it became cruel.

The transatlantic slave trade was born.

Africans were captured, sold, and shipped away like cargo. Some African rulers resisted. Others were tricked or forced into cooperation. Families were torn apart, villages emptied, and rivers carried screams instead of songs.

Europe was growing rich.

Africa was bleeding.

But still, Africa was not colonized fully, not yet.