African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 445: Chapter 123: 3 Channels

July 1873.

After more than half a year of hard work, the entire section of the Central Canal’s Canal No. 1 was completed, taking nearly four months longer than the East African government’s planned schedule.

This was an unavoidable action because it was difficult to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of the natives. Historically, the most efficient labor period for sub-Saharan African groups was during the time Westerners engaged in slave plantation operations.

After African regions gained independence, Black countries generally fell into a trend of sudden productivity decline because without restrictions, they returned to the unrestrained era of primitive society.

This is not unique to Africa; India and Southeast Asia regions face similar issues. Although the acts of colonizers are unforgivable, in areas fully colonized, their work efficiency might be the highest in history.

East African ”laborers” also face this issue, even with measures like whipping and corporal punishment, they barely reach the level of average idling workers.

Because excessive beating actually led these ”laborers” to develop resistance, triggering Stockholm syndrome. ”Laborers” became obedient and tame, but they also learned to waste effort while ”enjoying” the process.

Sometimes whether the work is conscientious or not cannot be discerned with the naked eye, especially with tasks like digging, where East African overseers cannot possibly measure each shovel of soil to see if it meets standards.

In reality, East Africa did exactly this, using random checks for oversight. Overseers visually inspected the workload of natives, and if they felt the workers were slacking, they would halt the work and measure the amount of earth dug by the natives.

The effective method remains the reward and punishment system, supervised by ”laborers” themselves, setting up work groups following an elimination mechanism.

If a work group remains in the bottom three positions for three consecutive days, they would be given priority in being sold to America and other regions. Conversely, if a work group ranks first for three days, they receive the best ”laborer” meals until the next group rises to first place.

This creates a vicious cycle, where the originally diligent ”laborers” achieve a better living standard, leading to more food, strength, and ability to maintain the first position, while other groups strive to avoid falling into the bottom three.

The reason was the fear of the unknown; they did not know where their fellow men taken by Germans would be sent! How the Germans might punish them! Whether they would be eaten by Germans!

Despite the cannibalism rumors being absurd, the natives entertained such notions secretly, along with tales of gunshots, drowning, and skinning...

Making East Africa seem like a ”terrifying” nation, a completely unfounded worry, Ernst didn’t have the peculiar habit of wearing special shoes.

Though the rumors were outrageous, East Africa welcomed them, clearly ”laborer” efficiency had greatly improved, and those who were eliminated had already boarded ocean-going ships, leaving East Africa, a land of trouble.

Affected by economic depression, the slave trade in East Africa faced certain setbacks, but good merchandise never struggled to sell, much like the strong buying power of the Ottoman Empire.

American plantation owners, due to agriculture crisis-triggered international agricultural product price decline, began to cut expenses, abandon large areas of land, and massively lay off agricultural workers.

However, the laid-off ordinary agricultural workers excluded imported ”East African native laborers,” who were more affordable as substitutes for slaves.

The slave trade required expenses, historically, capturing, providing for, and shipping slaves from Africa to America incurred costs that unscrupulous slave traders did not cover, which inevitably fell on plantation owners, thus slaves were not cheap.

Plantation owners bought slaves for the purpose of creating long-term profits for the plantation, with hopes of recouping slave purchasing costs with profits.

”East African native laborers” were different; before the economic crisis, East Africa would symbolically charge some fees. After the crisis, to sustain their market in America, East Africa began subsidizing slave trade.

The subsidy was issued based on ”immigrant” numbers, the more natives Haiti accepted, the more profit. As for Haiti’s arrangements for these natives, that was not East Africa’s concern.

Beyond output costs like ship capacity, manpower, and provisions for exporting natives, East Africa annually paid an extra 200,000 East African Rhine Shield to Haiti, a significant sum for them.

Or rather, not an insignificant amount for Haiti’s family forces. Once receiving ”immigrants,” they could supplement plantation labor or sell them to America, perhaps even profit further by extreme means...

Previously, Haiti’s population was over ten million; now, it is below one million. Even if all of East Africa’s native immigrants went here, Haiti’s rulers could handle it, given that nearby Dominica could also absorb some population.

Of course, for natives with higher labor enthusiasm, East African kingdoms wouldn’t resort to selling them, nor would they keep them in East Africa forever.

The approach was to extend their work term in East Africa for those who were more active, then, once expired, send them to West African Mwesili regime, who had been expelled by East African native forces.

After all, Mwesili was East African, needing manpower to establish a foothold in West Africa, and the more, the better. This was one of the locations for East African natives.

Overall, once retiring, ”laborers” in East Africa had three main destinations: Central Asia, the Caribbean coastline, and finally, West Africa.

For ”laborers,” Central Asia is not ideal due to Arabs using special methods to make them lose reproductive capability.

The Caribbean coastline requires luck; going to America is slightly humane, whereas staying in Haiti might strand them from ever overturning their fate.

If arranged to the fleeing East African Benevolent Monarch territories, outcomes would vary. On the positive side, East African sent ”laborers” were considered quality workforce in West Africa, even farming could create wealth for people like Mwesili, and they had two paths: farming or joining the army.

Compared to West Africans, East African native rulers more trusted co-ethnic natives and, as foreign invaders, faced regular conflicts. Hence, exporting native East Africans supported them in opposing West African local chiefs.

Thus, slave exports intensified conflicts in West Africa, but overall, it did not significantly impact demographics.

Because the main output to West Africa was native women and children, without women, native East Africans could not escalate population, being an East African hidden national policy.

Given limited ability to export ”laborers,” yearly averages were about 200,000-300,000 (excluding voluntary departures and escapers). If targeted by someone one day and slave trade aborted by International Community, leaving male Blacks with no outlet or reproductive means, within a generation, they could vanish naturally.

Indeed, East Africa did not engage in ”massacre,” but domestic losses among ”laborers” yearly were substantial, so destroying bodies has always been Ernst’s cleanup task.

Unlike indiscriminately burying in North America, that approach wasn’t suitable; East Africa typically resorted to cremation and nearby burial.

With complete cremation, no descendants can recognize them, for East African deceased are cremated mainly to prevent disease outbreaks, aligning with East Africa’s political correctness at present.

This boreable for East African immigrants too, who were physically robust and young, looking forward to several decades of good life.

In all honesty, Ernst didn’t sensibly endorse cremation, as he wouldn’t choose it for himself posthumously. But considering East Africa’s poor sanitation, particularly lagging medical technology, some preventive measures were understandably exaggerated.

Cancelation twenty to thirty years later wouldn’t be late, by then East Africa’s medical standards might ascend a level.