In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • from Blonde Roots*
  • Bernardine Evaristo (bio)

Click for larger view
View full resolution

[End Page 1191]

Dear Reader,

I am a reasonable man and a man with reasons:

No. 1

As one of my country’s Captains of Industry it is my duty to maintain business standards because the ‘Great’ in Great Ambossa &c was not put there by pussyfooting, pie-in-thesky dreamers but through hard-headed, hard-working, self-made entrepreneurs such as myself.

No. 2

The right to property is the right of mankind, whether it be land, oxen, house, ship, articles, child, wife or slave. When that right is violated man’s liberty is attacked.

No. 3

It is therefore in defence of my rights that I had to undertake the arduous re-capture of the wretched slave girl Omorenomwara. Do I not have more important tasks to undertake than wasting valuable time in pursuit of a runaway?

No. 4

How many slaves have been accorded the rank of personal secretary to Grand Masters such as myself? How many slaves are required to undertake simple office tasks such as writing letters with an ostrich-feather quill dipped in Indian Ocean squid-ink on specially imported Egyptian parchment? Oh, what backbreaking work indeed! How many slaves are thus privileged and what is a man to do when that privilege is abused?

No. 5

When is a beating more than just a punishment? When it is a lesson in self-improvement, inasmuch as it will greatly benefit the recipient if he has the ability to learn from his mistakes. It is true that there are limits to the brain capacity of the Caucasoi but it has been proven that some kind of moral foundation can be learned. When that fails, the switch and the rawhide serve useful functions. As do the thumbscrew and the rack.

No. 6

A good businessman never allows those in his service to run roughshod over him. He is the boss, he must be obeyed. It is a delicate balance. One is firm but one is kind. One gives an inch but one guards the mile. One is respected but one is never, ever a friend.

No. 7

To those of you who say, ‘Poor Omorenomwara, let her go!’, I say read on.

To those of you who say the Trade is cruel, I say read on.

To those of you who say the Trade is just and necessary, I say read on.

To those who are betwixt and between, I say read on. [End Page 1192]

Humble Origins—Personal Tragedy

Dear Reader,

It woe betides me to be the bearer of bad news, but for those ridiculous personages who pontificate with arm-waving dramatics from the Soap Box of Self-Righteousness that the Trade is cruel and inhumane, who bemoan the sufferings of these wretched creatures as if we and they are one and the same, be warned that your fallacious assertions are a complete waste of time because the groundswell of public opinion is against you, and will ever remain so.

Other personages, however, deliver Sombre Pronouncements gained through the Wisdom of Experience, much Serious Contemplation, Erudite Debate, as well as Rigorous Scholarly Research and the Analysis of Vital Statistics, all of which thereto leads them to discover certain Objective Truths.

Henceforth it is my duty and pleasure to acquaint the Reader with the latter.

To commence, for those new readers who are unfamiliar with my path towards Property, Prosperity and Enlightenment, let me retrace my footsteps back through the savannahs of time, the meandering rivers of memory, the overcast forests of the past, to the blue skies of my youth.

My people, the Katamba Clan, were hunter-gatherers who for generations had roamed the southern reaches of GA.

How humble! I hear you gasp. Yes, indeed, the honour of Chiefdom, Dear Reader, was conferred upon me by the House of Masters for Long and Outstanding Services to Industry. Let it be understood that, quite unlike others who reap rewards without earning them, I was not born to inherit the Golden Stool of the Kingdom but the gold bars in my vaults were stockpiled through decades of self-sacrifice and an upwardly...

pdf

Share