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Barracoon

the Story of the Last "black Cargo"
Oct 26, 2018PimaLib_AngelaH rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This previously unpublished book should have been published 87 years ago but wasn’t until now. Zora Neale Hurston took interest in Cudjo, the last living survivor of the last cargo ship in 1860 when slave trade was illegal. In 1927, Cudjo (Koussla is his African name) was pleased and grateful that someone would take interest in writing his story and over a 3 month period, shared with Zora his history. Zora is a great writer and folklorist who took the position as a cultural anthropologist and recorded his story in the purest form. It is written in a way that is true to him, in his dialect, which at first I found hard to catch its meaning and rhythm. However, with good writing, similar to all good music, one can find and understand the rhythm, meaning and nuances quickly. Koussla takes us from being taken from his home as a survivor of a brutal massacre, to spending 3 weeks in a primitive holding place for slaves called “barracoons”, to 45 days across a vast ocean, to landing on US soil. Then Koussla and other captives run and hid in swamps in desolate places until the slave master places him in Alabama to work as a slave, then eventually becomes free. But not free to return home. He is an aged man when being interviewed but his mind is sharp. At times, he weeps or becomes so lost in memories that he stares off and is unable to speak. This is not only a firsthand account of the brutality of slavery but also the deep pain of being taken away from your home, family, everything you knew and will never see again. A longing that would never go away. I highly recommend this book although difficult and painful. It is a testament to the strength and character of one, yet many, who have been through much but remains free from bitterness.