Introduction
The use of graphics in historical narration has evolved, leading to more people embracing the literature and exploring past events. Visual narration includes images and short conversations which tell a particular story or describe an event. Abina And the Important Men is a graphically illustrated book of Abina’s story written by Trevor Getz and Liz Clarke. The novel narrates the real story of Abina, a young African woman who dared to seek freedom at a time when enslavement was a way of life and economic activity in Africa. The historic event took place in West Africa’s coastal region known as the Gold Coast in 1876.
The slave trade was a significant economic activity until the British colonies took over the land, abolishing enslavement. Abina is among the slave bought into the coast after the British decree, where she tries to find the freedom awarded by the ruling. The authors tell the story in two parts. The first part is graphical, and the second presents transcripts of Abina’s story as a primary source. This essay summarizes Abina’s story, the historical setup of the narrative, the slave trade, and its significance in history today.
The Historical Context of the Narrative
The historical background is essential in understanding the author’s message and a narrative context. A reader can gain insight into people’s lifestyle, culture, and beliefs of a period through the vivid description of a story’s setup. Abina’s story occurred in 1876 in the coastal region of West Africa, referred to as the Gold Coast due to its abundance of gold and other valuable metals. The abundant wealth in the region attracted many European colonies, such as the Dutch and Danish, who ventured into the Gold Coast for trade (Getz and Liz 2012). Africans were the primary source of labor for the colonies leading to slavery and the slave trade.
At the time, the slave trade was a flourishing business because of its demand locally and internationally. Men were captured and sold abroad to European colonies to work in the sugarcane farms in Brazil and the Caribbean. According to the colonies, men were strong and could escape more easily in their homeland than in overseas slave establishments (Getz and Liz 2012). The business was very profitable due to the high demand for laborers overseas, leading to selling people with minor crimes and the weak in society.
Locally, chiefs and other influential men also needed domestic workers leading to enslaving young girls. Domestic slavery was known as Akan, meaning the slaves were free but limited to certain privileges like social status. The emergence of the British colony in the mid-19th century gave rise to many changes, including abolishing the slave trade. The British gained more military power and fought other colonies like the Dutch and Danish from the region. However, taking over the region was challenging due to the powerful local organization such as the Asante community. The British had to seek rival communities to fight the Sante and were finally successfully pushing the Asante off the coastal region in 1873 (Getz and Liz 2012). The British colony took advantage of the control over the region to create changes such as abolishing enslavement.
However, many people were enslaved in palm oil and sugar plantations before the decree, and the British could not force their owners to free them. At the same time, the primary business in the coastal region, the production of palm oil, depended heavily on slave labor. Since oil was a significant export to Britain, the farm owners started looking for new strategies for enslaving others to continue the oil industry. They approached enslaved people as wives or concubines to avoid going against the slavery decree. Young girls, in particular, were a target because they could not run easily and were submissive. Abina was also taken as a wife and helper but sold to an enslavement household at the coast.
Abina Mansah’s Story
Abina Mansah is a woman from the Asante community brought into slavery in the coastal region. Abina’s story picks up when she tries to escape from slavery while in the coastal region of Cape Coast. Initially, she was an enslaved person in the Asante community, but the demand for workers in the palm oil fields at Cape Coast led to her capturing and enslavement in the coastal region. After her escape, she seeks help in the market and gets helpful advice from one trader that living as a free person needs papers from the magistrate, an important man. The information comes as a shock to Abina because she thought everyone on the coast was free since slavery was illegal in the region. Nevertheless, the woman explains further that freedom came at a price, and only important men working for the British could help. Thus, she takes Abina to an influential Englishman named James Davis to ask for his help.
Davis takes Abina under his household as a maid, and she finally feels free until the appearance of her old master, Quamina Eddoo. Even Davis is afraid of Eddoo since he is an important man in the community forcing Abina to return to slavery. However, before she concedes to return, Davis gives her a possible solution out of slavery, presenting her case to the magistrate and requesting freedom. Abina agrees and writes a complaint to the magistrate stating the illegal slavery by Eddoo and a request for freedom. In the appeal, abina states that she had a right to sue for freedom because the ‘master (meaning white man) had said we were all free’ (Getz and Liz 2012). Through the help of Davis, the magistrate accepts Abina’s appeal, which commences a series of court hearings against master Eddoo.
Abina narrates her capture and slavery in Eddoo’s house in the court. Her initial captor is Yowawhah, who buys her to be his wife but sells her later to Eddoo, where she becomes a slave under the management of Eddoo’s sister. In court, Abina explains to the magistrate how she knew she was enslaved and not a domestic worker ‘At Adansi when a free person was sitting down at ease; the slave had to keep working….it was the same at Eddoo’s house’ (Getz and Liz 2012). Abina also states, ‘In this place when a man worked in any way he was paid, but I worked and was not paid’ (Getz and Liz 2012). Therefore, her position at Eddoo’s was enslavement because she worked without wages. Apart from wages, ‘Eccoah called me “Amerperlay”, which in the Kreppee means slave’ (Getz and Liz 2012). The family also wanted her to marry their relative forcibly, denying her free will to choose a partner. Thus, she escapes because of the pressure of forced marriage and threats of harsh discipline for disobedience.
However, Eddoo uses his wealth and influence to hire an established lawyer, Hutton Brew, who interrogates and manipulates Abina’s arguments. Abina’s case concludes when Awoah appears and gives evidence that she was never sold but worked as a domestic worker for only a period while he was away. The book’s first part ends when Abina is free, but Eddoo never gets acquainted. In the second part, the authors present Abina’s case transcripts, discovered after a long time. According to the author, Abina’s case brought popularity to the lawyers while the main subjects of the case, Eddoo, and Abina, were forgotten. However, discovering the transcripts give evidence and knowledge about Abina and how important men can manipulate a case to their advantage. Alternatively, the arguments on the transcript also question the final verdict of the case and the true meaning of freedom.
The Significance of the Narrative
Abina’s story is significant in telling the thorny issues about slavery that may seem insignificant. From the story, we learn that human trafficking is real, occurring among members of the same community. A relative or neighbor could sell the other into slavery for personal gain or influence. Before the British invasion, business was an economic activity for the local community and a source of wealth for many influential figures (Getz and Liz 2012). The authors describe how the demand for laborers in sugar plantations and the oil industry led to the illicit capturing of people and the international slave trade.
The story also shows the position of women in society since time. It depicts women as weaklings who cannot run from oppression or fight for freedom. More women and girls were captured from their homes into enslavement within the region, yet none could resist the capture or go back home and resume their everyday lives. The story tells of male dominance and influence in society. Yowawhah bought Abina through the deception of a marriage promise, ‘I was his wife’ (Getz and Liz 2012) and sold later into a powerful man’s household. When she seeks help in the market after the escape, a merchant tells her that only important men can help. Finally, she gets help from a man, Mr. Davis, after a court proceeding involving male lawyers and a male magistrate. Although she is set free, Eddoo remains unacquainted with any crime because he is an important man.
Although history may blame the colonies for slavery and the slave trade, the authors want readers to have an alternative view of slavery: Africans were also part of the slave trade institution. Most slaves, particularly women, worked on African farms with African owners, apart from foreign trade. Chiefs and influential men needed laborers for the farms and domestic work within their households. Telling this story enlightens the historical perspective of slavery that the colonies were responsible for capturing and enslaving Africans. Another aspect for consideration is how women could not help each other in difficult times. Eddoo’s sister, Eccoah, is responsible for managing the enslaved women, but she does not feel their oppression or help free them (Getz and Liz 2012). Instead, she is at the forefront of imposing marriage on unwilling girls like Abina. Eccoah’s attitude and position also show women’s weaknesses in defending their kind.
The Use of Graphics and Primary Sources
The authors’ graphics are interesting and use the primary data well. The images vividly describe every event, such as the people’s culture, the effects of war, slavery, and the community setup. The images also express the characters’ emotions and activities, such as Awoah exchanging coins with Eddoo, which shows monetary involvement in the slave trade. Each character’s way of dressing portrays their role and position in the story. The locals have robes and characters’ more traditional clothes, while the foreigners wear suits, indicating the extent of civilization in the region. I do not think the authors read too much into the document because each picture clearly describes the event, making it more realistic. When Abina describes her ordeal in Eddoo’s house, every image shows the precise words she says. For instance, the logging punishment shows how someone is tied inside a wood log, giving a more realistic view of the situation. Apart from dressing, the furniture, buildings, and kitchenware also illustrate a historical set-up in Africa.
Conclusion
Abina’s story is important because it inspires courage, determination, and commitment to seeking one’s rights. That courage and determination from a girl are worth retelling because, even in modern times, many people still live under some sort of enslavement but are too afraid to voice their fears. The story is insightful and compels one to think about the aspects of freedom and what entails a free life.
I think the authors try to voice Abina’s story to show that there are many heroes and heroines in history that go unrecognized. The transcripts in the second part show that Abina is not the only woman who fought for freedom, there are others whose stories were never heard or found in history. What I found interesting is that Maybe, some aspects of history are silenced or hidden to allow certain things to continue, such as slavery in the modern day. Uncovering stories like Abina’s reminds society to speak up and fight for what is right. One’s background should not be a barrier to freedom mentally, professionally, or socially.
Reference
Getz, Trevor R., and Liz Clarke. Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History. Oxford University Press, 2012.