1 RREMINIS C C ING IN D A A KKA A RR, SE E N E E G G A A L L By yR RamouttarrSee e c c h harrrran Sitting at this spot in Dakar, the westernmost part of continental Africa is similar to being at one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. As I look westwards into the Atlantic Ocean a multitude of thoughts crossed my mind. I feel myselfdrifting back 250 years in my imagination. Growing up in Palmyra Village on the boundary of Plantation Rose Hall in Guyana, this was easily accomplished. T The e s h e elt t e e r r e e d d har r b o o r in Dakka ar r in W W e s t t A Affr r ica ffr o m w wh e e r r e e hund d r r e d s s o o fft t ho o u s s a and s o o ffs sla a v v e e s s w w e r e e t akken a a c c r o o s s s t the e A A t t lan t t i c c O Oc c e ean t t o o t the e Ne e w w W W o r rld t t o o w w or r kko o ns s u g g a ar r , , c c ot t t t o o n a and d t t o ob b a a c c c c o o p p lan t t a a t t io o n s s I imagined I was a captured African slave awaiting transportation to the sailing ship anchored offshore. In the holding pen in which we are bivouacked, I heard all types of dialects, unintelligible to me. Such dialects were punctuated by the occasional schizophrenic scream which was exacerbated by the untrammeled crack of the white guard’s whip. Such superciliousness is alien to African society! I recall the elders in my village saying that insidious White Men were kidnapping our people and taking them in large “canoes” across the water to strange lands where they put them to do hard back-breaking work. They only looked for young men and women. The captured youths had to work from sunrise to sunset. They were an eclectic mix of various tribes so they could not communicate and chat with each other, such tactics led to enhanced productivity and most of all; it stymied the planning of rebellion or sabotage! Typical divide and rule syndrome.
R R EEMMIINNIISSCCIINNGG IINN DD A AK K A AR R ,, SSEENNEEGG A ALL BByy RRaammoouut t aar r SSeeeecchhaar r r r aann
Sitting at this spot in Dakar, the westernmost part of continental Africa is similarto being at one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites in India. As I look westwards into
the Atlantic Ocean a multitude of thoughts crossed my mind. I feel myself drifting back 250 years in my imagination. Growing up in Palmyra Village on theboundary of Plantation Rose Hall in Guyana, this was easily accomplished.
TThhee sshheell tteerreedd hhaarrbboorr iinn DDaak k aarr iinn WW eesstt A A f f rr ii ccaa f f rroomm ww hheerree hhuunnddrreeddss oof f tthhoouussaannddss oof f ss llaavveess ww eerree ttaak k eenn aaccrroossss tthhee A Att llaann tt ii cc OOcceeaann ttoo tthhee NNeeww
I imagined I was a captured African slave awaiting transportation to the sailingship anchored offshore. In the holding pen in which we are bivouacked, I heardall types of dialects, unintelligible to me. Such dialects were punctuated by theoccasional schizophrenic scream which was exacerbated by the untrammeled
crack of the white guard’s whip. Such superciliousness is alien to African society!
I recall the elders in my village saying that insidious White Men were kidnappingour people and taking them in large “canoes” across the water to strange landswhere they put them to do hard back-breaking work. They only looked for youngmen and women. The captured youths had to work from sunrise to sunset. Theywere an eclectic mix of various tribes so they could not communicate and chatwith each other, such tactics led to enhanced productivity and most of all; itstymied the planning of rebellion or sabotage! Typical divide and rule syndrome.
They had to learn a new language and start eating new food. They had toobsequiously worship the white man’s God. Our people were forbidden fromworshipping our Gods and ancestors. At nights, our pretty young girls werecollected from their barracks by the coterie of White supervisors and taken to thebig house where the White owner of the plantation lived. After a few hours, thegirls often came back to their rooms crying, but they never revealed why theywere aggrieved.
Many of our daughters became pregnant, although they were not married. Veryoften, the babies were white, with African hair. Seeing such babies, the owner of the plantation invariably gave, or sold, them to another plantation. Only the pureblack babies were kept on the plantation. As soon as the babies were strongenough, they started working in the fields also.
PP llaannttaatt iioonn V Veerrssaa ii ll lleess dduurr iinngg tthhee hhaarrvveesstt iinngg sseeaassoonn
Those workers, who were good at playing music, became the favourite of theWhite master. He used them to entertain his friends when he had parties. Often,when he went to visit his fellow plantation owners at their parties, he would takehis talented African to entertain the guests there also.
A story is told about Boubacar, he was a great stick fighter from my village andan accomplished stringed instrument player.
He was captured and taken across the water. When he was sold to Mr. Versaillesin Demerara, his new owner soon discovered his musical prowess and gave hima European instrument he called a violin. Boubacar played it so well that hebecame the main attraction at all parties within the colony of Demerara. Onesummer Mr. Versailles daughter, Angelique, was visiting from college inMarseilles where she was studying accountancy in preparation for a managementrole at Plantation Versailles. She was the guest of honour at the party Mr.
Versailles hosted for his plantation friends. As usual, Boubacar was the centre of attraction. On this occasion, he was most conspicuous. Mr. Versailles had writtento Angelique and asked her to bring a bull fighter’s uniform. This uniform hegave to Boubacar to wear on this auspicious occasion. Since Angelique was theone who travelled all the way to Barcelona in Spain to buy the outfit, she couldnot help admiring it, and the athletic Boubacar whom it fitted perfectly.
After dinner, as the guests were drinking coffee and smoking cigars made on theplantation, Angelique asked Boubacar to take her for a stroll under the bright
August full moon. She instinctively held his left hand and remarked how
masculine and strong it felt, not like the feeble French boys’ of Marseille.Boubacar was so flattered that the violin and the bow fell out of his right hand.
As he bent down to pick them up from the dusty footpath, Angelique bent overand kissed him on his head. Boubacar remarked, “Oh, thank you Missy
Angelique, I’ve never been kissed by a white woman before!” Angelique replied, “Boubacar, you deserve it, you are a strong, talented, mannerly man. It was mypleasure to show such affection, it just came instinctively.” At that point, shegrabbed Boubacar by the hand and pulled him into the thicket. There she startedkissing Boubacar on the lips. She started undressing him and giggling loudly asshe felt his rippling muscles. At that point, field overseer Mr. DeGroot of Plantation Zeerust was going home. He pushed the leaves of the thicket apartand saw the couple semi-naked. He immediately called to the big house for help,claiming that Boubacar was raping Angelique. All the gathered guests rushed tothe scene bearing oil torches. Mr. Versailles was livid. He immediately ordered apublic flogging, his idea of closing entertainment for his esteemed party guests,and a lesson to show the other slaves the repercussions of being disingenuous.Boubacar was suspended around his shoulders from the massive silk cotton treeand flogged 100 times across his back.
Angelique pleaded with her father to forgive Boubacar but he was too drunk onDemerara rum to show any remorse and be stymied by his favourite daughter.
At the end of the flogging, Boubacar was bleeding profusely. Mr. Versailles thenordered his guard Mamadou to take Boubacar and put him in his cabin. His angerwas so profound; he broke the violin across his knees and threw then into thetobacco bushes. He ordered Angelique to retire to bed. Mr. Versaillesimmediately ordered his secretary Mr. Benoit to book Angelique a return ticket toMarseilles. Next morning at breakfast, the Versailles family was surprised to hearloud wailing in the slaves’ quarters. Mrs. Versailles dispatched her maid servantRosieanne to investigate.
On her return, Rosieanne replied that Boubacar had died. Mr. Versailles orderedthat he be buried immediately, without any pomp and pageantry, an affinity
African slaves had.
MM rr.. V Veerrssaa ii ll lleess iinnssppeecctt iinngg hh iiss
hhaarrvveesstt ,, nnoottee tthhee uubbiiqquu ii ttoouuss
uussee oof f cchh ii lldd llaabboouurr
Boubacar was buried at the far end of the cassava patch, in an undignifiedobscure spot where a healthy young Tamarind tree was growing. Mr. Versaillesthen broke the news to Angelique that she had to pack her trunk and get readyto return to France. The next ship, the Cité Soleil, was sailing in 3 days time. Shehad to on it; and her mother was to follow in 4 weeks time when the La Plume
Verre sailed, that ship was to be loaded with their Muscovado sugar for France.
Every remaining day Angelique would slip out of the house after breakfast andgo to Boubacar’s grave and sits next to it and pays a form of tacit homage. Herparents did not miss her; they were busy adding up the weights of theMuscovado sugar produced in preparation for shipment.
Angelique returned to Marseilles, completed her degree in accountancy. Duringthe two remaining years of her studies, she kept minimal contact with her father.She never returned to Demerara.
On graduation, she received an honors degree, Cum Laude, and was sought
after by many companies with businesses overseas. A company called Fabergéwhich was involved in the ivory trade in Brazzaville sent her out to Africa as Chief Financial Controller. She loved the climate there and the immense Congo River.She made the company very profitable and it soon grew. Her shareholders wereimpressed at her business acumen, not realizing that it was in her genes,because Mr. Versailles ran the most efficient sugar plantation in Demerara.
Angelique fell in love with an African musician called Kabadiabo. They gotmarried in African custom with great pageantry. Angelique looked resplendent inher African outfit, and Kabadiabo looked dignified in his European garb.
He continued to play his music and Angelique increased profit for the companyseveral fold. They had three children, Monique, Mwate and Mapulanga in quick succession.
After 10 years of marriage, Angelique was promoted the Faberge’s head office inParis. She migrated with her family. Kabadiabo found the cold climate depressingbut the children loved the city and the challenging schooling. Kabadiabocontinued to play his music, but his sadness was reflected in the genre heplayed. To cope with his depression, he turned to alcohol. Within three years,Kabadiabo died of liver complication.
Angelique brought up the children to be professionals. When Mr. Versailles died,Mapulanga became deputy general manager of Plantation Versailles. He went outto Demerara and loved the flat open country. He married a Black school teachercalled Josephine Boobakar and they raised a family there. Not being thedescendant of a slave, Mapulanga earned the respect of all his workers. Heencouraged them to dress neatly at all times and ensured they had adequate
recreational time.
He was one person looking for acquisitions. He bought Plantations Wales andLusignan from their faltering absentee owners and made them extremelysuccessful. His sugar plantations were the show pieces of the county. Wheneverthe colonial government’s commissions were carrying out investigations into thegruesome conditions under which the shaves lived and worked, Mapulanga’sthree plantations were used as the benchmark reference of what good run sugarplantations should look like.
UUnnddeerr MM aappuu llaannggaa ’ ’ ss mmaannaaggeemmeenntt tthhee
ww oorrk k eerrss ddrreesssseedd ww ii tthh dd iiggnn ii ttyy ,, aanndd eexxhh iibb ii tt eedd pprr iiddee iinn tthheeii rr j joobbss…… ....
BBuutt cchh ii lldd llaabboouurr ppeerrss ii sstteedd!!
Angelique visited Demerara when she was 65 years old to bond with the grandchildren. She had the plantation workers build a swing under the shady Tamarindtree which had grown next to Boubacar’s grave. She must have spent 100nonchalant hours sitting on that swing and quietly mumbling something, lookingrelaxed, replete and at peace with the world.
As the descendant of that despicable form of slavery which replaced the trans- Atlantic slave trade, Bound Coolie Indentureship, I have made such journeysback to India and I know the profound feelings involved in such pilgrimages.Each trip I made to India emboldened me and enhanced my resolve to succeed.I cried the first time I landed on Indian soil at 0245 AM on 26 th March 2004,something I saw successful African American entrepreneurs, academics andprofessionals doing on Gorée Island in Senegal on many occasions, but withmore intense and emboldened emotions than I did in India!
PPeenneellooppee HHuunntteerr --GGaauu ll tt ,, aa bbaannk k mmaannaaggeerr f f rroomm NNeeww JJeerrsseeyy iinn tthhee
UUSS A A ,, oonn ppii llggrr iimmaaggee oonn GGoorrééee
II ss llaanndd,, SSeenneeggaa ll .. HHeerr ssww ooll lleenn lleef f tt eeyyee iiss iinnddiiccaatt iivvee oof f hheerr eeaarr ll iieerr ,,
dd ii ssppaassss iioonnaattee ccrryy iinngg
The colony of Demerara merged with the adjoining colonies of Berbice andEssequibo to form British Guiana. Demerara is now the capital county in theRepublic of Guyana.
