African Civilisation sends explorers to North America? And possibly meets the Vikings

[Euroman26]

After watching 12 year a slave, I could not help imagining what if there had existed of the many cultures in Africa a culture advanced enough to build large boats and master the art of navigation like vikings from Northern Europe? And send explorers North to North America? And these explorers meets the vikings in North Africa? and this meeting resulting in an alliance between an advanced civilization in Africa and Vikings of North Europe? How this possibly could have changed history and resulting in no enslavement of Africans. If you get my meaning?

 

[Danth]

After watching 12 year a slave, I could not help imagining what if there had existed of the many cultures in Africa a culture advanced enough to build large boats and master the art of navigation like vikings from Northern Europe? And send explorers North to North America? And these explorers meets the vikings in North Africa? and this meeting resulting in an alliance between an advanced civilization in Africa and Vikings of North Europe? How this possibly could have changed history and resulting in no enslavement of Africans. If you get my meaning?

The idea of only Black slaves only really happened in the colonial era. So most likely your Africans are butchered by Native Americans who are far more powerful back then repulsing even the Vikings (who i take you mean Norse as the work Viking is actually just a raiding party)

 

[Solidbarrage]

Slavery would have still happened regardless of an "alliance".
Slavery was more "you lost the war so now your mine" than "your a different race now your mine" Back then.
Plus that African culture of yours wouldn't be pan African and just enslave some random tribe that the only thing they had uncommon is that they were born in Africa.
Plus why would they need boats when they can get that sweet caravan gold and salt?

 

[leopard9]

I think a Sahel civilization would be your best bet for the type of African society that would be willing to be seafaring. Mali and Songhai would be your best bets as they were organized, wealthy, and had access to the sea. Their contact with the Barbary states and the larger Islamic world could spur them to develop their own style of ships.

Plus that African culture of yours wouldn't be pan African and just enslave some random tribe that the only thing they had uncommon is that they were born in Africa.

I think the OP means that the Atlantic Slave Trade would be avoided which it very well might and it would be tremendously helpful in giving Africa a leg up in terms of state building, population numbers, stability, and economic wealth.

Plus why would they need boats when they can get that sweet caravan gold and salt?

As trade starts shifting more to the seas, if the kingdom wants to retain their edge over interlopers, they would have to start investing in sea trade. Besides a navy could come in handy in the Sahel states ever want a more direct influence on the forests and savannahs of West Africa.

 

[eliphas8]

The problem here is that the African slave trade was largely a two way street. The primary buyers of the slaves in africa where arab and european slave traders but that's only half of it. The slave trade relied heavily on slaver warlords in west africa who would sell war captives into slavery. That does not encourage the development of a stable state structure and you really need to deal with the warlords early on in the colonial era because by their nature they destablize the region and create a self reinforcing slave economy.

 

[fhaessig]

IIRC (but I cannot find back the source), during the height of the triangular trade, the slaves taken in subsaharian Africa ended up roughly as follows:
+ a bit under 1/4 in transatlantic trade (i.e. ended up in the Americas)
+ a bit over 1/4 in transsaharian trade (i.e. ended up in arabic states, includiing North Africa)
+ a bit under 1/2 stayed as slaves in subsahrian Africa.

 

[leopard9]

The problem here is that the African slave trade was largely a two way street. The primary buyers of the slaves in africa where arab and european slave traders but that's only half of it. The slave trade relied heavily on slaver warlords in west africa who would sell war captives into slavery. That does not encourage the development of a stable state structure and you really need to deal with the warlords early on in the colonial era because by their nature they destablize the region and create a self reinforcing slave economy.

It really depends on the POD. OP talked about an alliance between Vikings and a sub-Saharan civilization, which doesn't seem that plausible. However, if we're talking Vikings then we're talking about the Middle Ages, long before the Atlantic Slave Trade. However, as sugarcane becomes known, it'll probably stimulate a similar demand for sugar as OTL. And since sugarcane grows best in the tropics, there will probably be a similar demand for black workers. Perhaps, instead of using the West Indies, Africans can be persuaded to grow sugarcane as a valued cash crop, both locally and abroad.