Ama-A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Manu Herbstein: A Vivid Depiction of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade That Would Enrich Educational Curriculums Worldwide
Ama A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade written by Manu Herbstein is an excellent piece that would greatly enhance educational curriculums worldwide. Herbstein, a South African former anti-apartheid activist who spent years living in Ghana, won the “Best First Book-Commonwealth Writers” prize in 2002 for this heart-wrenching, emotional, and historical masterpiece. The book describes the different actors responsible for the millions of slaves traded through the Middle Passage for 100’s of years, creating the vast African Diaspora that exists today.
Currently in the U.S. educational system, slavery is only briefly mentioned as a part of American history that was tragic, and in result most school curriculums do not adequately explore this period. In most cases, the only mention of slavery in public schools occurs while analyzing Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, viewing the film/television series ROOTS based Alex Hayley’s book, or possibly reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe in a more advanced literature courses. All of these stories focus on enduring harsh conditions after reaching U.S soil. In contrast, in Ama most of the story takes place on African soil.
Ama tells the story of a young West African woman’s capture in her village by another kingdom just to be traded as a slave several times before embarking on the journey through the Middle Passage. Her story is courageous, with anecdotes of love, frequent instances of sexual violence, and interesting power players that are not always categorized by race.
The story is colorful, vivid, historically relevant, and realistic. It has value in its portrayal of Africans who were not always in the role of victims, and Europeans who were also victims of classism. The story also shows how in times of tragedy one can find love in the most unexpected and peculiar places. Finally, the story resonates with the theme of resilience despite the worst circumstances.
Today more than a hundred years after the end of slavery many continental Africans have difficulty in comprehending the numerous identities, cultures, and struggles that exist in the Diaspora. Similarly, as a result of the psychological impact of the slave trade, many Diaspora Africans (particularly in North America, the Caribbean, and South America) distance themselves from their roots on the continent.
Even in cases on the continent were slaves were given amnesty to return and reestablish themselves on the ground such as Americo-Liberians, and Krios in Sierra Leone, there is history of animosity between these repatriates and the indigenous people although thankfully most of those conflicts have been resolved.
Despite this history of misfortune all of these communities continue to benefit from the cultures of one another. If not through the arts including music, film, or fashion, it is through cuisine, spirituality, or family values. In this piece of literature, Herbstein does an excellent job of describing how these cultures have evolved while keeping the essence of their existence in tact.
Manu Herbstein. Ama-A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Picador Africa, 2005.
