What happens when a government says that one part of your identity is more important than other parts?

The rulers of the west african kingdoms expanded their lands by

What does the quote describe? “the closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us….the shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable.”

What possible disadvantage of interest groups does this scenario illustrate