Review of "Shaihu Umar: A Novel About Slavery in Africa," by Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Barewa

 Review of

Shaihu Umar: A Novel About Slavery in Africa, by Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Barewa, ISBN 9781558760066

Five out of five stars

Another look at the history of slavery

 This is an excellent book that covers an aspect of the history of slavery that is very rarely covered. The fact that slavery has until very recently been a fundamental component of human economic life is often lost. The context of this novel is the slave trade in the northern section of Africa around and in the region of the Sahara Desert. With an emphasis on Nigeria.

 Issues of how African chieftains regularly raided the areas of other tribes in order to capture people to be sold into the slave trade and how many of those slaves were sold and held locally are covered. It has generally been lost in the modern conversation about slavery that the people that European ships picked up on the African coast for slave cargo were sold to them by Africans.

 The timeframe is the late nineteenth century and follows the life of a talented boy being raised in the Muslim religion. Therefore, there are many references to the grace of God. There is an instance of tribal warriors being excited when the Chief orders a raid against a village so that they can capture cattle and slaves. There are some acts of kindness, but overall, the actions of the characters are what one would expect when slavery is just an accepted part of society.

 At a time when there is a movement for black people in the United States to be awarded reparations for the consequences of slavery, it is important to recognize a historical fact. White Europeans were not the only ones that engaged in the slave trade.

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