Ntombizikhona Valela
C.L.R James' The Black
Jacobins documents the events leading to the Haitian Revolution and the
revolution itself. In the Prologue of this book, James explains that one of his
intentions of writing about this history is to not only point out the fact that
African slaves could organize in the same way that the Americans and French did
for their revolutions, but that this book would hopefully serve as a blueprint
for African countries that were at the brink of independence from colonization.
Through the story of Toussaint L'Ouverture, potential African leaders would
draw some sort of ''inspiration'' to the kind of leadership that is required to
get an independent state on its feet. In light of the time in which James as
writing I would say that this book is a way of getting its reader to be hopeful
about the where Africa could be after the post-colonial moment if quality
leadership and political will are put to good use.
One of the things that
I found to be quite striking about this book is the way James structured the
story. By starting with the experience of the African slaves from their capture
to their life journeying through the middle passage and finally reaching San
Domingo (Haiti), I found that the dignity and humanity of these people was
being restored to them. There are many historical accounts of the
Trans-Atlantic slave trade and there is universal belief that slavery is wrong
and what happened to many Africans should not have happened. However, I have
come across very few that allow, even force us to see African slaves as people.
I found that the positioning of this chapter allowed me to constantly, as I
read the book, to approach Africans as people first before slaves. The savage
brutality they endured and pitting this against The Human Rights Charter and
even the charters that were born out of the American and French Revolutions
happening around the same time as the slave trade exposed how unjust this
system was. This reinforced the power of representations even today where often
the oppressed are criminalized or demonized in the media while brutality by the
state is presented as justified in suppressing 'threats' to democracy or state
institutions. When James' account further unravels as we read on, I found it
quite striking that when he describes the retaliation of these slaves he says
that their acts of revenge are far less brutal than what the slave owners and
planters did to them. At first when I read this part of the book where James
describes the revolts and the things the slaves did, I found myself slipping
into an attitude of condemning the acts of the slaves, which goes back to the
issue of representation and how throughout history it is often the oppressed
that are the first to be accused of brutality without us ever investigating why
the oppressed would react the way they have. I like the way James describes
these revolts as a way of appeasing a passion that had been building up all
these years. It was more than an "eye for an eye", but more of a
"last straw" reaction to the treatment slaves in San Domingo had
endured.
Throughout the book,
the irony of the fact that two revolutions had taken place speaking of every
person being entitled to rights never left me. I think the reason that this
irony remains in the book is because James juxtaposes what is happening both in
France and San Domingo. The beauty of this is that this not a literary technique
he's using to tell his story but that it is simply a fact of history that both
these events were happening at the same time. The French on one hand were
asserting their human rights freedom, equality and fraternity while on one of
their colonies these rights they thought fundamental were being denied to a
group human of human beings. James points out that the justification was that black
people were no different to mules, which is why I think James showing us from
the start of the book that African slaves were human beings just like the
French is important to the book and the Haitian Revolution itself. The slaves
wanted to be free and everything that was on that island, in particular the
plantation was a symbol of bondage which is why one of the things to be
destroyed was the plantation- a view Toussaint did not agree with. He desired
for slaves to take over the plantations. Toussaint’s way of seeing things
reminded of why I feel African states have not progressed as they should have.
The same systems are in place the only difference is that the colour of the
people in charge is not the same. If we take South Africa as an example we see
that inasmuch as apartheid legislation was struck down and we are all free on
paper, not everyone has equal access to certain things like quality healthcare,
education or decent employment. The Marikana massacre as well as the death of Andries Tatane exposed the truth
that the state is just as brutal as it was under apartheid.
I think this book
succeeds, through not only showing the humanity of African slaves but through
the way slaves organized themselves in carrying out the revolution, in exposing
that blacks and whites are equal because of our shared humanity. The American,
French and Haitian Revolutions are viewed as some of the greatest in history
and this trumps the suggestion that black people are unable to carry out the
same things that white people can. The secret meeting in the forests and the
voodoo gatherings reminded me of the African slaves in Brazil who invented
capoeira, a martial art that combines dance, acrobatics and music in order to
not alert slave owners of their intentions to defend themselves in their
attempts to escape slavery, hence the heavy dance influence. We are reminded
(perhaps are enlightened) that Africans are just as capable of toppling an
oppressive regime and establishing an independent African state without any
assistance from outside forces. All that is required is good leadership and
unity for a particular cause. I am weary of the fact that the revolution is centered
a lot around Toussaint as I feel the masses are the hero of this story of the
Haitian, more so than one man. However I do acknowledge the leadership of Toussaint
and how it contributed to the success of Haiti's Revolution.
Reference:
James, C.L.R., 1963, the
Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution, Ney
York: Random House.
