The book of Negroes does something that most Slave-genres do not. They give a voice to the African slave. I don't mean the Black-America slave, but the African slave. Warning, may contain spoilers.
It is rich with authenticity, and empowering despite the genre it covers. Aminata Diallo is a brave soul, an abolitionist, a feminist and she is African.
The series gives a glimpse of the rich culture that existed in Africa prior to Colonization, and helps give a better understanding of who enslaved African were (most slave narratives provide insight on who enslaved Africans became-under the whip if I may add).
Chekura Tiano dispels the myth of the powerless black man and his relationship with Aminata validates the African family even as it was being ripped apart by slavery. Their relationship was in many ways a sort of fairytale, it carried with it the essence of traditional story-telling.
Over-all, I enjoyed the series and hope to see it extended; maybe to fully explore either the colony in Sierra Leone, or Africa prior to the events in the series.
It is rich with authenticity, and empowering despite the genre it covers. Aminata Diallo is a brave soul, an abolitionist, a feminist and she is African.
The series gives a glimpse of the rich culture that existed in Africa prior to Colonization, and helps give a better understanding of who enslaved African were (most slave narratives provide insight on who enslaved Africans became-under the whip if I may add).
Chekura Tiano dispels the myth of the powerless black man and his relationship with Aminata validates the African family even as it was being ripped apart by slavery. Their relationship was in many ways a sort of fairytale, it carried with it the essence of traditional story-telling.
Over-all, I enjoyed the series and hope to see it extended; maybe to fully explore either the colony in Sierra Leone, or Africa prior to the events in the series.