SOUTH-AFRICA-L Archives

From: Richard Okill <>
Subject: Re: (Fwd) Slaves & Inherited Diseases
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 1997 22:56:45 +0800

Conrod Mercer wrote:

> ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
> Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997 18:41:16 -0700
> From: Marty Russell <>
> To:
> Subject: Slaves & Inherited Diseases
> Reply-to:
>
> Dear Diana,
> Slavery in SA was abolished in 1834 (many, many years before USA), so
> you'd have to go back further to find any owned by your ancestors. I
> was
> interested to find a reference to slaves in a will dated 1783 which
> (translated) reads "According to the honoured decree of the government
>
> slaves who have been confirmed as Christians may not be sold." In
> another will dated 1807 "Doortje van de Kaap" must not be sold but
> must
> inherited and may live with whom she wishes, be it children or
> grandchildren until her death.
>
> Another point - all the references I've come across refer to slaves
> from
> the Indian Ocean side of Africa, eg 'September van Mocambique',
> 'Robert
> van Bengale' and of course the Malay slaves are well known. Does this
>
> mean that slaves came only from the East, or were some of these names
> used like 'Overseas' is today - which covers any foreign land? Speak
> to
> any MOTH and he will tell you he served "Up North", whether he was in
> Kenya, Abyssinia, Egypt or Libya.

Dear Marty,
Love the comment

> Slavery in SA was abolished in 1834 (many, many years before USA)

Pride in race-history of slave ownership? I can understand that!I was
priviledged to work in Zambia in the eighties, in the villages, and
discovered a nostalgia for British colonial administration quite
unexpected. More surprisingly, a history of tribal slavery, taken for
granted.
Seems to me there are several forms of slavery..

Ancient concepts, of vanquished-in-war, slaves destined by defeat, (Rome
and Greece).
Old Western ideas, war for trade of labour, ( European powers,
1500-c1800).
Modern ideology, impressing workers for the State. (1900-c1980)
Civil war (Sudan, Afghanistan, Cambodia).

But best example of modern, legal slavery must be the condition enforced
upon blacks by Boer settlers, banned from owning slaves by their own
political masters, the British.
Who cares about the law, with a bible and gun and land for the the
taking?
But enslavement of local tribes was brutal beyond any western ideas of
civilisation.
It's time to recognise that, to gain historical appreciation you need to
hold onto what you have?
Go well,
Don't get robbed or raped, don't be a boer anymore!

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• Re: (Fwd) Slaves & Inherited Diseases by Richard Okill <>