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Home ReviewofAbinaandtheImportantMen:AGraphic

HistorybyTrevorGetzandLizClarke
FromtheChiefEditor WrittenBy:OpolotOkia
EditorialStaff
SubmissionGuidelines
AbinaandtheImportant
Tweet
Men:AGraphicHistory.
Articles TrevorGetzandLizClarke. Like Bethefirstofyourfriendstolikethis. ARTICLES
OnTeaching NewYork:OxfordUniversity WHENTHELIONLIES
Reviews Press,2012.ISBN DOWNWITHTHE
SpecialProjects LAPDOG:ARTISTS,
9780199844395
TheNorthStarProject SAINTS,DOGSANDMEN

INSIXTEENTHCENTURY
AbinaandtheImportantMenisagraphichistoryaboutarealcourtcasefrom GERMANY

Announcements the1870sinthetownofCapeCoastintheBritishGoldCoastColony
FROMTHECHIEFEDITOR
Links (southernportionofmoderndayGhana)ofWestAfrica.Theplaintiff,Abina
THEMIDDLEGROUND
Contributors Mansah,contendedthatshewaswrongfullyenslavedbyawealthyplanter, JOURNAL,20142015
QuaminaEddoo,and,asaconsequence,broughtchargesagainsthimand SUMMARY

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ContactUs foughttosecureherfreedomthroughthecourts.Thebookisacollaboration
REVIEWS
betweenahistorian,TrevorGetz,andaSouthAfricangraphicartist,Liz
REVIEWOF
Clarke.Getz,ahistorianofmodernAfricanhistoryandworldhistoryatSan SOVEREIGNTYAND
FranciscoStateUniversity,isknownforhisearlierworkontheslaveryand STRUGGLE:AFRICA
abolitioninAfrica,SlaveryandReforminWestAfrica(2004).Abinaandthe ANDAFRICANSINTHE
ERAOFTHECOLDWAR,
ImportantMenisalsosimplyahistoryaboutwomenwithouthistory,and
19451994BY
parallels,asahistoricalproduction,SandraGreen'srecentbookWestAfrican JONATHANT.
NarrativesofSlavery:TextsFromLateNineteenthAndEarlyTwentieth REYNOLDS
CenturyGhana(2011).
SPECIALPROJECTS

ONGOINGFORUM:
Thegraphichistorywasclearlydesignedspecificallyforuseinthe USINGBOOKREVIEWS
classroom.Itisdividedintofivecolorfullydemarcatedparts.Thefirstpartis ASATEACHINGTOOL
thegraphicnarrativewithrequisitepicturesandtext.Thesecondpartisthe UNIVERSITYOF
MINNESOTA
actualtranscriptfromthecourtcase.Therestofthesectionsofthegraphic
DEPARTMENTOF
historyprovidethenecessarycontextforinstructionintheclassroomin HISTORY
additiontovariousmaps.PartIIIgivesashorthistoricalbackgroundofthe
region,theslavetradeandBritishinvolvementinthearea.PartsIVandVare
essentiallystudyguidesforusingthetextintheclassroom,thatinclude
discussionsofbroaderhistoricalthemesthatcomeoutofthecourtcaseand
alsopotentialwaysforstudentstoapproachthetextintheclassroom.
REVIEWS
REVIEWOFINVENTING
InPartIGetzandClarkeconstructthehistoricalnarrativesurroundingAbina's VIETNAM:THEUNITED
courtcase.Britain,ofcourse,wasthemostimportantEuropeanslavetrading STATESANDSTATE
BUILDING,19541968BY
nation.AccordingtotheTransAtlanticSlaveTradeDatabase,outofthe
JAMESCARTER
approximately12.5millionslavesshippedoutoftheAfricafrom1501to1866, (1comment)
Britishshipstransported3.2millionofthem.However,bythelate19th
NORTHSTARPROJECT
century,GreatBritainhadalreadyoutlawedthetransAtlanticslavetrade
THENORTHSTAR
(1807)andalsoabolishedslaveryinitsterritories(1834).Consequently,
PROJECT,2013SUMMER
throughitsattemptstoendslavetradingintheGoldCoastregion,Britain REPORTNUMBER
becameinvolvedinanumberofwarsagainstthegreatslavetradingnationof THIRTYFOURST.
Asante.Followingthe1873war,Britainestablishedacolonyoverafewofthe PETERSBURG,RUSSIA,
PREPARINGTOHEAD
largetownsonthecoast,includingCapeCoast,andaprotectorateovermost
BACKTOTHEU.S.OFA.

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oftheremainingFantecoastalstates.Alongwiththecreationofthecolony (1comment)

andtheprotectorate,Britainalsoabolishedthelegalstatusofslaveryinthese
NORTHSTARPROJECT
areasin1874.Practically,thismeantthatalthoughslaveownerscouldnot THENORTHSTAR
usethecourtstoenforceenslavement,theBritishwouldnotactuallytakeany PROJECT,2013SUMMER
positiveactiontoactuallyphysicallyfreeslaves.Theslaves,themselves, REPORTNUMBER
THIRTYNINESEMESTER
wouldhavetomakeabolitionareality,asAbina'scaseshows.
ATSEA,THESAHARA

DESERT
So,bythetimeofAbina'scourtproceedingsin1876,slavery,though (1comment)
nominallyillegalintheGoldCoastColonyandProtectorate,wasactually
REVIEWS
flourishingandcountenancedbytheBritish.Slaveryflourishedprecisely
REVIEWOFMODERN
becauseitbuttressedtheregion'seconomicsystembuiltupontheproduction SOUTHASIA:HISTORY,
ofsocalledlegitimateproducts.Bythe1870s,theGoldCoastwasan CULTURE,POLITICAL
importantpalmoilproducer.PalmoilwasamajorexportfromWestAfricato ECONOMYBYSUGATA
Europe,particularlyEngland,duringthe19thcentury.Manyofthepalmoil BOSEANDAYESHA
JALAL
plantationsdependeduponaslavelaborforce.Sincetheabolitiondecreedid
(1comment)
notaffecttheconditionofwivesorconcubines,slaveownersbegantoimport
slavegirlstoworkonplantationsandperformotherwork,asawayofevading REVIEWS
REVIEWOF
theabolitiondecree.Slaveownerswouldimportfemaleslavesandpassthem
COLONIZATIONANDITS
offasmembersofthehouseholdorwives.ThiswashowAbinaMensah
DISCONTENTS:
cametolifeasaslaveintheGoldCoast. EMANCIPATION,
EMIGRATION,AND
AbinawasoriginallyaslaveintheAsantecontrolledinterioroftheGoldCoast ANTISLAVERYIN
ANTEBELLUM
region.Getzdoesnotstatewhethershewasbornintoslaveryorwas
PENNSYLVANIABY
captured.Clearly,bythetimeshewastakentothecoastalareasasa BEVERLYC.TOMEK
teenagegirl,shehadalreadybeenhabituatedasaslaveforquitesometime. (1comment)

Thenarrativepicksupherstorywhileshewasintheinterior.Shewas
originallyboughtbyamannamedYowawhahwhotookhertothecoastaltown
ofSaltPondandthensoldhertoawealthypalmoiltradernamedQuamina
Eddoo.IntheGoldCoast,powerfulandinfluentialmenlikeQuaminaEddoo
werereferredtoasimportantmen.AfteracquiringAbina,Eddooplacedher
underthechargeofhissister,Eccoah,whoputhertoworkperformingvarious
tasksalongsideotherslavegirlswhorangedinagefrom9to13yearsofage.

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Eventually,EddodecidedtogiveAbinatoamalememberofhisextended
familyasawife.ItisatthispointthatAbinadecidestorunawaytothetown
ofCapeCoast.

DuringhersojourninCapeCoast,shebefriendsaEurAfrican,JamesDavis,
whoworkedasacourtinterpreter.Beingeducatedanddeeplyimmersedin
Europeanculture,DavisisagainstslaveryanddecidestohelpAbinabring
chargesagainstQuaminaEddoothroughthecourtsysteminCapeCoast.

WithDavisactingasherlegalcounsel,chargesarebroughtagainstQuamina
Eddoo.Eddoo,however,hiresJamesHuttonBrew,oneofthefewtrained
lawyersinthewholecolony.Throughhisskillfulquestioning,HuttonBrew
quicklyconfusesandputsAbinaonthedefensiveaboutherslavestatus.He,
apparently,arguessuccessfullythatAbinawasnotinfactaslavebutafree
worker.Fromthetranscripts,thewholetrialbecomesaquestionofhowto
definefreedom.Althoughthecourttranscriptissilentonthispoint,sinceit
endsabruptly,inthenarrativereconstructionQuaminaEddooisacquittedbut
Abinagainsherfreedom.Alliswellthatendswell?

Onereasonthebookissousefulforclassroominstructionisbecauseitisa
windowintomanyaspectsoftheinstitutionofslaveryinAfrica.Forexample,
afterAbinaissoldtoQuaminaEddooinSaltPond,althoughshewas
nominallyownedbyanimportantman,thepersonwhoactuallymanagedher
laborpoweronadaytodaybasiswasawoman.Abina'sslaveexperiencein
thisregardisconsistentwithClaireRobertson'sandMartinKlein'sarguments
intheirauthoritativebookWomenandSlaveryinAfrica(1997).Mostslaves
inAfricawerewomenandalthoughmenownedtheslaves,theactualdayto
daymanagingoftheirlaborwasinthecontroloffreebornwomen.When
AbinaissoldtoEddo,heformallycutsoffherbeadsandgiveshercloth.
Thiswasaformalwayofshowingthatheownedher.Therewerealso
differentnamesforslavesthatwereborninahouseholdasopposedtoslaves
thatwereacquiredthroughthemarket(odonko).AsSuzanneMiersandIgor

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Koppytoffhavealreadyshownintheirtimewornopus,SlaveryinAfrica
(1977),thedifferenceinnamesalsoreflectedthevariationinslavestatusand
thetreatmentofdifferentclassesofslaves.Aslaveacquiredthroughthe
marketsufferedgreaterdebasementandphysicalabusethanslavesofthe
hearthorslavesbornwithinthehousehold.

Thebookalsoshowstheextenttowhichslaverywasthoroughlyinterwoven
intothefabricofsocietyintheGoldCoast.Abina,essentially,didthework
thatfreewomennormallyperformed,anyway,duringtheentiretyofher
enslavement.Sheworkedasaporter,performeddomesticlaborandwas
evenavailableforthesexualgratificationofherhandlers.Whileworkingfor
Eccoah,shewasalsothreatened,thoughnotphysicallyabused.However,
whileshewasaslaveintheinteriorshedidsuffercertaintortures,appropriate
forslaves,suchasbeingimprisonedinalogand,ofcourse,flogging.

AbinaandtheImportantMenisalsoanexerciseintheprocessofhistorical
reconstruction.BuildingupontheanthropologistMichelRolphTrouillot's
conceptofthesilencesofhistory,GetzandClarkeattempttogivevoiceto
Abinabyfillingintheemptyspacesofthecourttranscript,whichwasactually
atransliterationofwhatAbinasaid.PartIVdiscussestheissuesthey
grappledwithinattemptingtoreconstructavoiceforAbina.Forexample,
problemslikereconstructingthewayAbinatalkedandlooked,anddecoding
thesignificanceoftheremovalofAbina'sbeads,weresomeofthemany
issuesthattheauthorshadtoexploreandreinterpretintheirownway.

LiketheretellingoforaltraditionbyagriotortraditionalAfricanstoryteller,
AbinaandtheImportantMen,isalsoanexerciseinreinterpretation.In
additiontobeingstorytellers,Griotkeptthehistoryinnonliteratesocieties.
Becausethehistorywasrecountedorally,eachgriotwouldputhisown
particularspinorembellishmentontheretellingofit.Throughthecreationof
theirgraphichistory/novelGetzandClarkeare,likethegriot,addtheirown
spinontheactualhistory.Theauthorsarewellawareofthisissue,asit

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formsthetopicforPartIV.

Thisaspectofthebook,however,givesititsstrength,particularlyasatool
fordiscussingthehistorianscraftintheclassroom.However,thisstrength
ofthebookisalsoaweakness.GetzandClarkehavetocolorinsomuch
spaceinthecourttranscriptthattheysometimesmoveintoagrayarea
betweenfactandfiction,historyorliterature.Inthisregard,italsowouldhave
beenusefuliftheauthorshadsuppliedapictorialglossaryofmaterialculture.
InPartIVtheyexplainhowtheywereabletousehistoricalpicturesand
drawings,memoirs,etc.toaidinthevisualreconstructionofthestyleof
dress,buildingsandfurnitureofthetimeperiod.However,intheinterestsof
clarity,theyshouldalsohaveaddedsomesortofkeythatexplainedthe
culturalsignificanceofsomeoftheartifacts,likeclothing,forexample.
Nevertheless,allinall,thisisanexcellentattemptattryingtoprovide
historicalcontentinamoreinnovativeformat.StudentsofAfricanhistorywill
benefitimmenselyfromthisgraphicretellingofAfricanhistory.

ForFullArticle

EditedbyMartinPflug

(c)2015TheMiddleGroundJournal,Number10,Spring,2015.
http://TheMiddleGroundJournal.orgSeeSubmissionGuidelinespageforthe
journal'snotforprofiteducationalopenaccesspolicy.

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2010presentbyTheMiddleGroundJournal ProfessorHongMingLiang,DepartmentofHistory,TheCollegeofSt.Scholastica 1200KenwoodAvenue,Duluth,MN55811,USA

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