In the book Abina and the Important Men by Trevor R. Getz, the author depicts the story of a runaway slave, Abina Mansah, prosecuting her former owner in Ghana during the 19th century. Although her story was silenced and forgotten for decades, Getz uses graphics, primary sources such as court transcriptions, and historical context to illuminate a figure who otherwise would have been overlooked in history. Unable to control her own life as a slave, Abina ran away and testified against Eddoo but lost the case. The jury acquitted Eddoo even though the British had abolished slavery. In Abina and the Important Men, Getz highlights Abina’s limited efficacy because of the complex nature of colonialism.
Abina’s attempts to advocate for herself were …show more content…
The “Important Men” that influenced Abina’s case--Eddoo’s lawyer, her own lawyer, the judge, or the jury-- are Europeans and people of color who are affected and respond differently to the system of oppression. There are people of color who exploit the system of oppression, Europeans who exploit the system of oppression, people of color who are victims of oppression, and people of color and Europeans who are ambivalent to the system of oppression. The judge, William Melton, had conflicting interests. On one hand, he sympathized with Abina, on the other, he needed to maintain alliances with local men and avoid conflict. The roles of the “Important Men” reveals the society beliefs at that time period and a system dominated by men. Getz’s characterization of the “Important Men” demonstrated that the colonization isn’t black and white in terms of oppressors and oppressed, and that there is an intersection of power dynamics between race and gender that affect different groups in myriads of ways.
Getz offers the reader an opportunity to comprehends the injustices to the poor and powerless face through a lens of an individual from a historically oppressed group. Abina’s story demonstrates that an individual’s agency can be restricted through layers of power and that historically events are multifaceted. Abina and the Important Men is a compelling story to read for anyone who wants to explore diverse perspectives of history that engages the reader to think critically of the systems of