pie ce ▁of ) ▁cloth ' ▁from ▁Dutch ▁do ek ▁or ▁Dan ish ▁d ug . ▁The ▁few ▁written ▁accounts ▁that ▁stem ▁from ▁this ▁period ▁focus ▁on ▁trade . ▁As ▁more ▁European ▁countries ▁established ▁trade ▁posts ▁in ▁the ▁area , ▁mission aries ▁were ▁sent ▁out . ▁As ▁early ▁as ▁ 1 6 5 8 , ▁Spanish ▁mission aries ▁translated ▁the ▁Do ctr ina ▁Christ iana ▁into ▁the ▁language ▁of ▁All ada , ▁making ▁it ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁texts ▁in ▁any ▁West ▁African ▁language . ▁The ▁G be ▁language ▁used ▁in ▁this ▁document ▁is ▁thought ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁somewhat ▁mang led ▁form ▁of ▁Gen . ▁ ▁The ▁relatively ▁peace ful ▁situation ▁was ▁prof ound ly ▁changed ▁with ▁the ▁rise ▁of ▁the ▁trans at l antic ▁slave ▁trade , ▁which ▁reached ▁its ▁peak ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁eigh teenth ▁century ▁when ▁as ▁many ▁as ▁ 1 5 , 0 0 0 ▁slaves ▁per ▁year ▁were ▁export ed ▁from ▁the ▁area ▁around ▁Ben in ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁tri angular ▁trade ▁between ▁the ▁European ▁main land , ▁the ▁west ▁coast ▁of ▁Africa ▁and ▁the ▁colon ies ▁of ▁the ▁New ▁World ▁( not ably ▁the ▁Car ib bean ). ▁The ▁main ▁actors ▁in ▁this ▁process ▁were ▁Dutch ▁( and ▁to ▁a ▁less er ▁extent ▁English ) ▁trad ers ; ▁capt ives ▁were ▁supplied ▁mostly ▁by ▁co oper ating ▁coast al ▁African ▁states . ▁ ▁The ▁B ight ▁of ▁Ben in , ▁precisely ▁the ▁area ▁where ▁the ▁G be ▁languages ▁are ▁spoken , ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁cent