Summary Of Abina And The Important Men

Fighting to heard not just to be Free

Abina and the Important Men written by a historian Trevor R. Getz, reveals a true story of West African in the early nineteenth century who fights for right to be heard. Abina Mansah is a young African women who although is free is forced into slavery at a time when slavery was abolished and endures cruel and harsh punishment by her slave owner. She eventually escapes and takes her former slave owner Quamina Eddoo to court. The book illustrates her trail and treatment in the plantation through graphic artwork such as comic book and depicts the reality of her life and lives of all women in West Africa. The purpose of Trevor Getz along with Liz Clarke’s graphic illustrations is to share how Abina’s voice, through narration was silenced, and denied the basic human rights of a free

The main passages show the struggle Abina faces in the courtroom, which is filled with “Important men” as the title conveys. The first obstacle is that she is a African Women who sense the beginning Is seen as inferior to men. The court is comprised of Judge, lawyers, and jury who are all men. The judge a high ranking and wealthy British man, whose interpretation women especially black women plays a major role in how the court makes its decision. Two African Attorneys and jury who are solely wealthy high-class town leaders, which share a similar notion to women as the judge did regarding African women. This session took place during the Gold Coast under British rule who abolished the slave trade in 1807 and then slavery in 1833, however slavery continued to exist amongst African plantation owners in the Cold Coast Colony and Protectorate and unfortunately Abina was victim to slavery regardless of being free in her