Abina and the Important Men

Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History

This graphic novel was a very interesting and unique take on history and on how it’s traditionally told. The story is based on a young African slave girl, named Abina Mansah, in the nineteenth century. Most of the events that occur in the book take place in West Africa and more specifically in the Gold Coast Colony. It’s based on the real-life event of Abina’s trial against Quamina Eddo, who was a powerful and wealthy man. She believed that she was wrongfully enslaved. She wanted her voice to be heard and decided that she would take this man to court. The only problem with this was that he grew palm oil, which at the time was vital component of Britain’s growing industrial production. Therefore, bringing him to court was a big deal. They were walking a very fine line in doing so, but in the same token they had to honor the new laws that they passed abolishing slavery. None the less, William Melton, the acting judicial assessor, decided to give the girl a shot in court to prove Eddo guilty of wrongfully enslaving her.
The account goes on to tell of the events that occurred in court. Abina tells her account of what had occurred and is questioned about her experience by Eddo’s attorney, her own attorney, and Melton. She states that she was left by her old master in the hands of Eddo, but that her old master was going to return for her later. While staying at Eddo’s plantation with his sister she was approached by his sister and was told that she was going to have to marry a man, Tando, against her will. She told them that she didn’t like the man and wouldn’t marry him. With this she was threatened and told that if she didn’t marry him then she would be flogged. After she was told this she ran away and knew that she wanted her story to be heard. This is why she had come to Cape Coast to be free. In the end Quamina Eddo was found innocent of enslaving Abina. She was very upset by this news and stated that all she wanted was to be heard. She wanted to go to the court so that she could say what needed to be said. She wanted them to know how her life was.
In the second half of the book you can find the original transcripts that tell you exactly of what was said during the trial. You can also find a section on the historical context, a reading guide, and a classroom guide.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. It was a really creative twist on the usual context of how history is normally told! I think that it kept me more interactive in the story and engaged. The main reason I enjoyed the book, along with many others I’m sure, is the story being focused on an unlikely person in history. Abina was just a normal girl in history. She was a slave girl who didn’t have any fancy education, nor was she wealthy or powerful. Basically, she was kind of like you or me in the grand scheme of world history. We don’t hold any important role in history, yet we make up the majority of people in the history of our time. Its a wild thing to think about. It really makes you think about all of the history that was lost throughout the years! Who knows what other occurrences happened that, due to lack of good documentation or preservation was lost. What’s even worse to consider is that throughout history there were people who took it upon themselves to decide what was important and what was not. This is one thing I’d like to bring up in class to discuss. Another thing that I would like to discuss is timely question of how people can so easily ignore what is right? For instance the men that were on the jury and William Melton knew that Abina was most likely a slave. Even if she was labeled so, she was still being forced to marry a man that she didn’t want to. This leads me to my next question, was she really a slave? My answer to that is a yes I believe, but I still would like to hear what others opinions are. As a girl, I can’t help but side with Abina on this matter. Not only were they attempting to force her to marry someone else, but they were essentially taking her freedom away to choose her own path in life. No one likes to be told what to do and I admire her determination and courage in trying to give a voice to those who couldn’t speak up for themselves. All in all this was a great book and I am really happy that you introduced us to it! It definitely made me consider all the voices that have gone unheard throughout history, but now I am left with only more questions about the history of our world and what it all means!