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Middle
Passage
Thinking
and Talking Activity
 From
the 16th to the latter 19th century, many thousands of Africans
from various ethnic groups were displaced from their homelands all
throughout Africa, and were forcibly brought to the West coast of
Africa, to begin a journey known to us today as the Middle Passage.
This arduous trade voyage brought human beings to the Americas,
to work as slaves in exchange for raw and manufactured goods from
the Americas, Britain, and other European nations.
It is called the Middle
Passage because it was the middle leg of a three-part voyage that
started and ended in Europe. The first leg of the voyage carried
a cargo that often included iron, cloth, brandy, firearms, and gunpowder.
Upon landing on Africa's "slave coast," the cargo was exchanged
for Africans. Fully loaded with its human cargo, the ship set sail
for the Americas, where the slaves were exchanged for sugar, tobacco,
or some other product. The final leg brought the ship back to Europe.
The African slaves boarding
the ship had no idea what lay ahead. Africans who had made the Middle
Passage to the plantations of the New World did not return to their
homeland to tell what happened to those people who suddenly disappeared.
Conditions were horrible
on these ships, with hundreds of people chained down together in
a tiny cargo hold, barely enough room to roll over, little ventilation,
food, or water. Disease and mortality was high, it is said that
between ten and twenty percent of those transported lost their lives.
 It
is hard to believe that this occurred in our history less than 150
years ago, yet it is important to recognize this history, and discuss
this with our children. It is important to remember that each of
these people brought as slaves to the New World had a life, a family,
traditions, beliefs, and skills that they had to suddenly leave
behind. They could bring nothing with them physically, but deep
inside themselves they carried the memory of their rich cultural
heritage, their strong spirit, and their incredible ability to persevere.
In People Like Me 2001,
we bring you just a glimpse of the many diverse cultural expressions
that were carried by the strong and brave people that survived the
Middle Passage. As the traditions and artistic expressions became
transformed in a new land and the changing political conditions
over the last two centuries, they continued to carry an essential
spirit and energy that has so enriched the new lands they inhabited.
In this year's People Like Me, we are honoring the contributions
of African people and their invincible spirit, to our shared culture,
our music and dance.
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