Blogging Topic 2: The Book of Negroes Photo Essay

When Aminata was first taken away from her family and village, thoughts of her mother and father drinking mint tea stuck with her and reminded her of what her life once was like.  Even after years of travelling, slavery, and freedom, Aminata will always remember her childhood through the scent of mint tea, which she and her family drank from a calabash.  In other instances throughout her journey, seeing a calabash always reminded her of her homeland and childhood.  Other slaves probably also had objects that represented something memorable to them, before they were enslaved.

After being captured, the three month walk towards the coast tested Aminata’s physical strength.  Slaves typically had to walk for miles and days to reach destinations that had no better living condition than the walk itself.  Being naked and forced to walk chained to one another showed humiliation, which Aminata found to be a con of going back to her village, if she ever managed to escape.

During the walk to the ships that would depart slaves from their homeland, they also experienced mental downfall.  People turned crazy, or gave up on life itself.  Aminata witnessed a father jump of a tree after his daughter’s death, so as to join her.  Many others would have probably killed themselves too, if given the chance.  The anguish experienced by being alive was enough to remember, even forty or more years later.

On top of enduring physical and mental pain, spirituality was stripped from slaves and any feeble attempts would be punished.  Aminata tried multiple times to phrase Allah out of habit and in times of need, but was told she would be beaten or even killed.  She ended up not believing in Allah due to the persistence of others for her to stop praying.  This made her feel even more alone and helpless than ever before.

Although the captors were cruel for enslaving people, they’re never look a slave in the eyes. Aminata noticed that they lacked light in their eyes; she had never met a person doing terrible things who would peacefully meet her gaze.  She reasoned that to look into another person’s face is to do two things: recognize their humanity and assert your own.

When Aminata was brought down into the medicine man’s room, he sexually advanced on her and she hissed in protest.  An eleven year old girl hissing at this grown man was enough to stop him; he had weak, blue, watering irises which is quite contrary to men whose eyes burn with the intention to hurt.