Final answer:
Some African leaders tried to resist slave trading by transforming their societies and negotiating with Europeans, like Affonso I's attempt to create a Christian state or the Senegalese leader's ban on slave transport. However, these efforts ultimately failed as the slave trade and European dominance persisted.
Step-by-step explanation:
African leaders employed various strategies to resist slave trading during the era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Notable examples include the ruler of the Kongo Kingdom, Affonso I, who attempted to transform his region into a Christian state aligned with the Portuguese to reduce or end the slave trade. Unfortunately, his efforts were not successful, and the slave trade persisted.
Likewise, in the eighteenth century, the leader of Senegal enacted a ban on the transport of slaves through his territory to halt the trade.
However, his efforts were thwarted as traders found alternative routes. While these efforts were not victorious in stopping slave trading, they embodied the African resistance to European encroachment and the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The broader context of African resistance includes battle-fought opposition, the formation of maroon communities by escaped slaves, the retention of African culture, and negotiation tactics by African chiefs to gain fairer terms for trade, although they were often unable to fully challenge European domination.