and-i-would-remember

[and-i-would-remember]

Inktober 11, Aminiata Diallo from The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. It’s an incredible book and 10/10 would recommend.

#Aminata Diallo #Art #not a gif #but wonderful art that needs to be shared!

[and-i-would-remember]

(Mamadu): "No more. No more travelling so far to bring babies into the world." (Sira): "Women in other villages have babies too, and your daughter needs to learn the trade." (Mamadu): "I will not allow it. It's not safe." (Sira): "I have walked this country my whole life. I will travel as freely as anyone." (Mamadu): "I will go with you the next time." (Sira): "No, you will not." (Mamadu): "I'm coming with you!"

The Book of Negroes, Episode 1

#The Book of Negroes #Book of Negroes #Mamadu Diallo #Sira Kulibali #Aminata Diallo #Andile Gumbi #Thishiwe Ziqubu #Shailyn Pierre-Dixon

[and-i-would-remember]

(Aminata narrating): My father made jewelry. He was the only man in the village who had a copy of the Qur'an. From him, I learned Fulfulde and how to read and write in Arabic. Islam was spreading across the land, and in Bayo, my father was among a few converts. [Aminata writes in the sand with a stick] (Mamadu): "Now, read what you wrote." (Aminata): "'Allah Akbar'". (Mamadu): "Good. Very good. Now, keep practicing."

The Book of Negroes, Episode 1

#The Book of Negroes #Book of Negroes #Aminata Diallo #Mamadu Diallo #Sira Kulibali #Shailyn Pierre-Dixon #Andile Gumbi #Thishiwe Ziqubu

[and-i-would-remember]

Aminata and her mother arrive home to their village of Bayo, Mali, in 1761. The Book of Negroes, Episode 1

#The Book of Negroes #Book of Negroes #Aminata Diallo #Sira Kulibali #Shailyn Pierre-Dixon #Thishiwe Ziqubu

[and-i-would-remember]

(Man's voice): "The man-stealers took a farmer. That's his blood." (Sira): "Let's get home before it gets dark." (Aminata narrating): "Have you seen the moon slide behind the clouds? People started slipping away like that. But unlike the moon, they never came back."

The Book of Negroes, Episode 1

#The Book of Negroes #Book of Negroes #Aminata Diallo #Sira Kulibali #Shailyn Pierre-Dixon #Thishiwe Ziqubu

[and-i-would-remember]

"I seem to have trouble dying. By all accounts, I should not have lived this long. I am Aminata Diallo; daughter of Mamadu Diallo, and Sira Kulibali. I was born in a village called Bayo, in what you call Guinea. I knew from a young age that I would be a djeli, a storyteller. I would see, and I would remember."

The Book of Negroes, Episode 1

#The Book of Negroes #Book of Negroes #Aminata Diallo #Aunjanue Ellis