REI AMADOR; ONCE UPON A TIME IN AFRICA
A Short Story by Babayo U. Kabir ONCE UPON A TIME IN AFRICA… Rei Amador The old man gathered the children under the shade of the great Baobab Tree and began to tell them a tale of an African hero. “Children,” he began softly, “do you know that in the olden days, millions of our ancestors were forcefully taken away on boats across the Atlantic Ocean to work as slaves on faraway plantations?” He sighed, and the leaves above rustled as though in sorrow. “Yes, my children. The white man came to our fertile lands to buy human beings — mostly strong young men — from some of our corrupt kings and queens. They marched them in chains from the hinterlands to the coastal ports, crammed them into large barges, and sailed them away to a place called the New World , where they were forced to work on sugarcane and cotton plantations.” “It was a dark and painful era in Africa’s history — one that left a deep scar upon the soul of our continent.” The Captive “It was duri...