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A Poignant Historical Account of the Last Slaves Shipped to America
By Linda A. Annan
The delicate subject of slavery evidently evokes distinct emotions in every individual. Any absorption of information about the topic – myth or historical fact – often induces a sense of illumination of one’s knowledge, which in fact is the case with historian Dr. Sylviane Diouf’s book, Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Story of the Last Africans Brought to America. The novel-like approach of the book diminishes any complexities associated with historical texts while attempting to narrate the experience from the perspective of the slaves. It is very well researched, documented and arranged chronologically, providing accurate details of the Africans who arrived in the United States through the Transatlantic Slave Trade, specifically those on the last ship.
In nine comprehensive chapters we are not only given an accurate account of the historical event but are introduced to the lives of the captives. There is an attempt to explore the psyches of the slaves from their first encounter with kidnappers – as was the case for some – through their passage to Mobile, Alabama. The Africans, brought to America on the Clotilda, a ship owned by steamboat captain and plantation proprietor Timothy Meagher, were bought in Ouidah, Dahomey. Their journey is highlighted, with supported facts and without gloss, in a manner that humanizes the slaves and their experiences.
How was Diouf successful in accomplishing this?
With what seemed to be an attempt to educate about customs and culture of Africa, the reader, whether consciously or subconsciously, is thrust into the lives of the captured slaves, creating room for emotions to be sensed – fear, melancholy, anger and even cheerfulness. One begins to envisage the feelings of the slaves upon their capture especially after some knowledge of their cultural background.
Needless to say no one needs background information or strong family values or ties to understand the atrocious experience of the captives. From Ouidah, Dahomey to Mobile, Alabama, they faced hardships, they were humiliated – stripped naked, and treated like animals, according to the account. Upon arrival in the United States, they were reduced to the lowest in society when some of these same people were regarded highly in their communities in Africa.
It is fascinating how one’s emotions move with the tide of the book. The heart wrenches when an African is first captured – by his or her own people – to be sold to Europeans. There is disdain when slaves are ill-treated; there is hope when they find hope and disappointment when they find disappointment. But the sweetest part is when the slaves from the last ship to arrive in America learn that they are free; the overwhelming emotion is priceless. Of course, they faced more challenges after emancipation including a lack of funds to pay for a trip back home which led them to build a community called African Town in Alabama.
One interesting way the author provides information in the book is by re-narrating stories passed on from slaves to their descendants and either disputes or confirms them with historical facts. An example is when Kanko, a slave, told her descendants about mercantile practices in her hometown, Yorubaland. Kanko did not mention the name of her town but Diouf was able to identify the tribe to which she was referring. And although there were slight discrepancies in Kanko’s tale, Diouf was able to provide explanation, based on the facts relating to “population movements” during the time.
It is evident that the historic account is meant to be informative. Diouf explains traditions of the various African groups under discussion and seizes upon some opportunities to educate the reader about the culture of the peoples. One of numerous instances is found in the second chapter when the author delves into the traditional values and history of the Nupe/Takpa of Nigeria. We learn that Zuma, one of the slaves who originated from the aforementioned tribe “might have gone to Qur’anic school at around age seven, to learn to recite the Qur’an and write Arabic.” We also learn about some cultural patterns of the Nupe tribe: the “females are not involved in farming, but they process and sell agricultural products.”
Images from the movie Roots undoubtedly emerge especially as the slaves are assigned responsibilities. Yes, the movie is disturbing, and yes, it does an incredible job of depicting the lives of slaves set in the 1750s, but its visual effect compared to Diouf’s book is mild in comparison. Could this be attributed to the fact that the latter is based on actual truths, thus the stories create poignant images as they are narrated? Probably. It could also be that the detailed nature of information contained in books facilitates an easy internalization of events.
But certainly, this illumination of the story would have been impossible without Diouf’s matchless storytelling ability coupled with such extensive research.
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