A Diary of a Slave Girl

Life in Africa

Hey,

Just thought that I would write a little note before you start reading this :) its been amazing how recently so many people have started to read the book and it now has over 5,000 reads, wow thats incredible guys, thanks :) 

The only thing is that it hasnt got many votes so far, which i dont understand since many people have commented and read the story. So pretty please with a cherry on top, if you are like me and understand the seriousness of the topic that I've written about please click on the vote button over there :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>>

Thanks guys, elspethmcook :D

Here's the book :D

  Diary of a Slave Girl

Thursday 4th December 1796

I am Shaunee, a freed African Slave Girl, living in America. This is the story of my life so far, I am writing this so hopefully one day people will realise how horrific Slavery is and abolish it. There might be some parts of my story that might upset the faint hearted. So if that is you I suggest that you put this story down right now and go and read something happier than a life of a Slave. I also ask that you trust me when I say that you need to make sure that Slavery is abolished, because not is it only horrible and rotten, it is inhumane.  So please help every one of us Africans which are still enslaved to many American Plantation owners all over America. We need it because we don’t have a voice in your society because of whom and what we are. Mainly because of our colour of our skin.

Life in Africa, Gambia, inland:

Today has been a magical day, we have been blessed with a new life entering our village, and our village is part of the great and prosperous Mandinka tribe. Today Mum has given birth to my brand new baby brother, he is called Kinte, and it means a new life. I’m Shaunee, my job inside our family and village is to look after the younger children. I have been doing this for two years now after I turned 14; I am now 16, and officially an adult within our village. My twin brother, Miamba, has just gone off to start his Trial of Manhood today and won’t return for another two weeks. From what I have heard, the Trial of Manhood is a great and terrible thing at the same time; it is where the men in the village learn how to fight and wrestle, how to hunt, how to look after the women of the village and finally learn how to have the wisdom and honour, courage and wisdom to become a true man. I have also heard that they have to be circumcised as part of the ritual, ew.

My Dad is one of the main goat herders in the village; they are out today taking all the goats for a walk around the woods. Dad says that the goats need a change of scenery every once in a while, I agree. I mean would you like to just see the same thing, everyday of your whole life?

Mum is inside the hut at the moment looking after Kinte, he needs a lot of attention, and our hut is very simple. It only has one room in which we sleep, eat, learn, and pray, it has a fire in the middle for light, we don’t need it for warmth. The Elders of the village and the Chief’s family all have bigger huts, because they are more important and wise. I’m best friends with the Chief’s daughter, Fantah, I’ve only been in their hut once and I will say one thing, wow. It is bigger and grander than ours and Fantah has her own room! Mum is always telling me to go and visit Grandma and Grandpa, I do and I love it, I respect them. They are both wise and Grandma can read your palm. So far all of her predictions have turned out to be right, so I also trust them with my heart.

Today is also a Sunday, the day we pray to Allah, all-powerful and all knowing Allah, for the greatness that he has gifted us with in this life. If you don’t believe then you will have a bad life, the last person that didn’t believe was killed when he was ripped apart by a cheetah, when he was hunting it, he turned out to be the hunted not the hunter, Allah bless his soul.

 Even though today is a magical day, it still can’t shake off the fear that has recently been spreading around our village, like a wild camp fire, White people, that’s what. Dad came back from his goat herding trip a week ago, praying to Allah over and over again.  He went straight to the Chief and explained what he had seen. That night the Chief made an announcement to the whole of the village about the White people. Telling all of our warriors to be ready, our wrestlers to be prepared and to never leave the village unless you have one or more warriors with you. Warriors from other villages, from the Mandinka tribe, have been visiting and discussing the White men with our warriors. I can’t help but notice the way that they respect each other, their motto is “Save don’t kill”. We believe that life is more important than killing, no matter how tainted that person’s life may be.  

Tomorrow Fantah and me are going to visit our friends from another village, belonging to the Mandinka tribe, we are being escorted by three warriors, so that we don’t get captured by the White people, I can’t wait. Over all our entire village is very simple, we only build what we need and manage with everything we have got.