The Book of Negroes

Like others have said here, I got a good bit of new information from this series, that I didn't know about before. I've always liked Ms. Ellis, especially in The Mentalist. There was a great deal of subtle artistry in her makeup as she aged. I thought the story flowed very well. But honestly, whoever cut the series should get a new pair of scissors. Maybe the network cut it so sloppily for commercials? It was completely distracting. Other than that, I was fascinated with the set direction, costumes, locations and thought the supporting cast was very good. I'd like to read a bio of Ms. Diallo now. Ridiculous that we have to write ten lines for a review. Blah.

This mini series is artfully and authentically written, acted and directed. Ms. Ellis and the cast are compelling and so believable. The story itself offers more of the complexities of the people and time period and reminds us of the vastness of a history that we have accepted on face value, as told to us from a very limited set of perspectives. This view hit me hard. A lesser told story of the Black family under the assault of genocide, racism, poverty, persecution and unthinkable acts of terror is explored here. The love story that often takes a second seat to those events, is, here, given a fuller and deeper expression. It was painful but so authentic, I was compelled to watch each episode and encourage all to do the same. There are a few moments when you want your children to close their eyes, and many when they will have questions and comments. It also demonstrates how even when the Caucasians considered themselves "good" to blacks, they were so entrenched in racism and superiority that they had to be made to know that their "good" was self-serving and constrained by their own indoctrination that they were inherently "better." It's a great way to explore history. Watch it.

Epic, intense TV series in 6 episodes about a young girl and then adult, depicting an intense dramatization of Aminata Diallo (Aunjanue Ellis), she is abducted from his African village, sold into slavery, and taken to America, her love story with Chekura (Lyriq Bent) who manages to escape and join Aminata, they have a daughter, who is eventually sold away from them , to her liberation. She is also befriended by British Cpt. John Clarkson (Ben Chaplin) and along the ways suffering cruel enslavement. Later on, she migrated from Nova Scotia to Sierra Leone, where they formed the original settlers of Freetown, under the auspices of the Sierra Leone Company. Throughout the series, Aminata efforts to secure her freedom in the eighteenth century, she must navigate a revolution, isolation in Nova Scotia and the treacherous jungles of Sierra Leone. Observing notable events in U. S. history, such as a revolutionary movement in New York, slave uprisings, and emancipation. Her testimony to lead the African-American people into freedom.

The series deals with a young African woman captured in Africa as a child and subsequently enslaved in South Carolina, she is literate and acts as a scribe to record the information about the former slaves. The film packs crude scenes full of brutality and cruelty in which the African-American slaves suffer humiliations, flagellation, beating, degradation and mistreats by their owners Based on the novel concerning a saga of African-American life, in which Aminata witnesses countless atrocities - against herself and his fellow slaves ; being written by Canadian novelist Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes, (2007, published in the United States as Someone Knows My Name). It is inspired by the African Americans who were resettled in Nova Scotia, and some of them who later chose to go to Sierra Leone, where they created a colony of freedmen in Africa. The book won the top 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prize notable African-American. The film displays nice acting talent at the time and several actors were solicited to join the cast. Support is frankly fine, such as : Cuba Gooding Jr, Greg Bryk, Jane Alexander, Ben Chaplin, Dwain Murphy , Allan Hawco, and Louis Gossett Jr. Canadian director Clement Virgo adapted decently the book into a six-hour television mini-series of the same title. The series premiered on CBC in Canada on 7 January 2015 and on BET in the United States on 16 February 2015.

Based on historical events , in fact ¨The Book of Negroes¨ is a document created by Brigadier General Samuel Birch, that records names and descriptions of 3,000 Black Loyalists, enslaved Africans who escaped to the British lines during the American Revolution and were evacuated to points in Nova Scotia as free people of colour. African people were then brought as slaves to Nova Scotia during the founding of Louisbourg and Halifax. The first major migration of African people to Nova Scotia happened during the American Revolution. Enslaved Africans in America who escaped to the British during the American Revolutionary War became the first settlement of Black Nova Scotians and Black Canadians. Other Black Loyalists were transported to settlements in several islands in the West Indies and some to London. Recorded in 1783, this 150-page document is the only one to have recorded Black Canadians in a large, detailed scope of work. The document contains records on 3000 Africans; the former slaves recorded in the Book of Negroes were evacuated to British North America, where they were settled in the newly established Birchtown and other places in the colony. According to the Treaty of Paris (1783), the United States argued for the return of all property, including slaves. The British refused to return the slaves, to whom they had promised freedom during the war for joining their cause.

Based on a bit of true history and a fictionalized book of the same name, this mini-series yields an aspect of the African slave story that I'd not known about before. Set in the late colonial / post-Revolutionary era, the story fills in some gaps left by Alex Haley's Roots chronicle.

No doubt legitimate criticism could be made of the film regarding its perhaps overly romanticized version of real life for African slaves in the colonies, and the multiple, implausible transatlantic voyages of the main character, and the surprise ending. If you can look past those flaws, the movie holds interest and the principal actors give engaging performances.

Two actual copies of the real Book of Negroes exist -- one in the National Archives in London, the other in National Archives in Washington DC.

Aminata Diallo (Aunjanue Ellis) is captured from her West African village and sent into slavery. She falls for Chekura, a boy in the slaving party. He in turn is also sold. She is sold to the cruel Robinson Appleby. She resists his advances and eventually has a child with Chekura. Rosa Lindo is a sympathetic white woman but she dies. Her husband Solomon is able to buy Aminata but also brokers the sale of Aminata's child away from Robinson. Aminata escapes from Solomon to live in NYC's Canvas Town during the American Revolution. She is befriended by Revolutionary bar owner Samuel Fraunces (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). Chekura manages to escape and join Aminata. She is also befriended by British Cpt. John Clarkson (Ben Chaplin). At the war's end, she helps to record names of slaves into the Book of Negroes for slaves who supposedly served the British Army for one year and thereby earning their freedom.

It's great for this little mentioned part of history to be made. Also Aunjanue Ellis is a very compelling actress. I can do without Cuba Gooding Jr. doing an accent. Also Rick Roberts doesn't fit my image of General Washington. Aminata directly challenging Washington on slavery seems too obvious and on the nose. It's unrealistic. The story is rushed through a long winding life. I can understand the need for it. However it does feel sometimes like a highlight reel. The production and directions are mostly TV movie level. Ellis is able to elevate the production almost by the sheer power of her will.