Dark Bullion

Calvin Walker
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The Dark Bullion audio series is a historical project that explores the Atlantic slave trade, focusing on lesser-known themes and contradictions, and its lasting impact on the systems and institutions we live with today. It begins in mid-17th century West Africa and utilizes AI-generated voices. The content is drawn from historical records, traveler accounts, and European enslavers’ reports, aiming for historical accuracy while acknowledging conflicting interpretations among historians. The project seeks to present the complexity and contradictions of the past with care, without simplification. Download the study guide from the Dark Bullion website. https://calvinwalker.cc/dark-bullion/

Season 1

  1. A Portal to Oblivion

    Episode 1

    A Portal to Oblivion

    This episode explores Ouidah, Dahomey in 1685, a key West African trading port deeply involved in the Atlantic slave trade. It details the dynamics between European powers like the Royal African Company and African rulers. Key aspects include the trade of captives for weapons, the Tree of Oblivion ritual, and the extensive involvement of various European empires in the trade. The episode also touches on the symbolic depiction of Black figures in European art.

    14 min
  2. West African Peoples

    Episode 2

    West African Peoples

    This episode examines 17th-century European stereotypes about West African peoples, contrasting them with the rich diversity of cultures like the Yoruba, Fon, and Mandé. It details their political systems, economies, traditions, and clothing. The narrative highlights the complex reality of West African kingdoms, their internal trade networks, linguistic diversity, and varying degrees of resistance to the Atlantic slave trade.

    10 min
  3. Captive Markets

    Episode 3

    Captive Markets

    This episode investigates the developing mechanics of the Atlantic slave trade, emphasizing the immense suffering involved. It details methods of capture, including warfare, kidnappings, and false accusations of witchcraft. The episode explores the market dynamics of assessing and trading captives, the roles of African and European traders, and the evolution of violence. It also notes efforts by communities, like the Tofinu, to evade enslavement.

    15 min
  4. Paper Bulls

    Episode 4

    Paper Bulls

    This episode explores how religion shaped the Atlantic slave trade. It traces the Church’s reinterpretation of the “Curse of Ham” as justification for slavery, contrasts it with biblical passages against enslavement, and highlights the complicity of popes and the Church of England. Alongside, it examines African spiritual traditions such as Vodou, their survival in the Americas, and the Church of England’s recent admission of its historic ties to slavery.

    13 min
  5. Women of West Africa

    Episode 5

    Women of West Africa

    This episode examines the complex and multifaceted roles of women during the Atlantic slave trade period in West Africa. It profiles the Mino (Agojié), Dahomey’s all- female military regiment, and explores women’s positions as traders, political advisors, and warriors. It highlights three remarkable figures: Queen Agontimé, who rose from captivity to become a Candomblé priestess in Brazil; Queen Nzinga Mbande of Ndongo and Matamba, a diplomatic and military leader who resisted Portuguese colonization; and Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita, a religious visionary whose Antonianism movement challenged both church authority and the slave trade. The episode also details the unique practice of woman-to-woman marriage in Dahomey, emphasizing how women navigated survival, power, and legacy in a society where they could be simultaneously victims, traders, and architects of their own destinies.

    22 min
  6. Inventory

    Episode 6

    Inventory

    This episode examines the barracoons and other holding facilities where captives awaited transport across the Atlantic. It details the systematic assessment, categorization, and commodification of enslaved people through European traders’ documentation practices. The episode draws on historical accounts like Alexander Falconbridge’s testimony to reveal the clinical brutality of the sorting process, while exploring how the financial infrastructure developed for the slave trade (ledgers, insurance policies, and banking systems) would shape modern commerce. The episode also draws parallels between gold mining and human extraction, and contrasts European and African concepts of time.

    24 min
  7. Meanwhile in Europe

    Episode 7

    Meanwhile in Europe

    This episode examines how the Atlantic slave trade became democratized across 17th- century Europe, focusing on the Dutch Republic, France, and Britain. It details the evolution from royal monopolies to common investment, revealing how ordinary citizens – clerks, shopkeepers, artisans, and widows – purchased shares in slave trading companies. The episode explores Amsterdam’s financial innovations, Nantes’ merchant dynasties, and Liverpool’s dominance through supporting industries in Birmingham and Manchester. It highlights the economic infrastructure, institutional wealth, and Age of Enlightenment contradictions that enabled mass participation in the trade across all levels of European society.

    30 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

The Dark Bullion audio series is a historical project that explores the Atlantic slave trade, focusing on lesser-known themes and contradictions, and its lasting impact on the systems and institutions we live with today. It begins in mid-17th century West Africa and utilizes AI-generated voices. The content is drawn from historical records, traveler accounts, and European enslavers’ reports, aiming for historical accuracy while acknowledging conflicting interpretations among historians. The project seeks to present the complexity and contradictions of the past with care, without simplification. Download the study guide from the Dark Bullion website. https://calvinwalker.cc/dark-bullion/

Information

  • Creator
    Calvin Walker
  • Episodes
    7
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Calvin Walker 2026
  • Show Website
    Dark Bullion