By Ambassador Phatse Justice Piitso
Synchronising the fascinating episodes of history, Maria Olofa, the warrior African slave woman in the mountain forests of the Antilles, pioneer of the illuminating testament, hope of the universe, noblest dream to have traversed the path, most resilient to have found the world by demanding freedom, mother of all battles, woven in the fabric of revolutionary struggles. Paradigm of the revolutionary age, from the darkest moments of history, transforming herself into a titanic freedom fighter, shaping the coarse of events, for future humanity.
At the mouth of Sierra Leone river, the world largest natural harbour, deadly hands of the European colonial marauders, harvesting human beings like tropical fruits, forced into slavery, unarmed, chained, tortured, raped, thrown into the deep sea at the desire of the master, enduring wrenching atrocities of human abuse, the new beginning of the unknown world of the American archipelago. Emboldened acts of courage, resilience and heroism, never stopped them from learning, never stopped teaching them, wisdom the path to humility.
Embracing the unknown, far beyond the horizons of the imaginations, at the far spectrum of the universe, breaking the frontiers of the new world of the Antilles, fostering the dreams of hope of what the new world hold for them, free from the confines of their motherland Africa. Treasure store of history, thousands of miles away, where nature has never ceased to be, making the impossible possible.
In the linguistic proverbs of the indigenous Taino people of the Hispaniola, their soul would have no rainbow, if their eyes had no tears, conquering the new horizons of the middle passage, by conquering their own souls, knowing well that even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. The long walk of their path to wisdom, through the Atlantic, brightly illuminated by the possibilities, of the unknown shores of their destination.
Metamorphosis of history, forgotten wars of the world of slavery, what the new world cannot remember, not knowing that the new is born out of the old, the old out of the new, what is of today is of tomorrow, the world of today is the world of yesterday, to be part of the past for the past to be part of us, shaking the foundations of imperialism and colonialism, fundamental feature of the struggles for freedom of humanity. Their tenacity is the pride of who they are, African slave women and men of the Antilles, sons and daughters of the soil.
Encompassing horrors of slavery, stealing the beauty of the human soul, the greedy imagining to buy the home of the stars, the struggle between darkness and sunshine, walking through planets where the eyes cannot see, unending horizons of the universe. Their names stand high on the rostrum of benefactors of human race, towering the strength of all obstacles, the triumph of human struggles against adversity.
Maria Olofa is the panther of freedom, the symbol of the struggles of humanity, warrior slave woman of thousands battles, raising the glorious flag for the downtrodden, her example, beacon of hope, resilience and determination. Harnessing the aspirations of freedom into the world of slavery.
The 1521 slave rebellion of Santo Domingo, professed her the first slave woman, to have led the first slave revolt, in the history of the transatlantic trade. Over five hundred years since the epic event, I dedicate the day of the 9th of August, embracing her embodying spirit, expanding horizons of struggles for freedom of humanity. The lyrical melodies of the orchestra from the balcony of the mountain kingdom, a special day, signifying the beauty of creation, my wife, Delsey Madume Piitso, whose birthday, we celebrate.
On occasion of the historic day, dedicating our memories to the legendary slave woman, the mother of all battles, Maria Olofa, I am making a call to all organic scholars, historians and intellectuals, whom I refer philanthropists of enlightenment, to choose the truth over falsehood, challenging the dominant mind of the European oligarchy and empire, by so doing, liberating future generations mankind, true facts about the history of struggles, for development of human society.
They were called slaves, but were freedom fighters, they were called maroons, but were rightful citizens of our mother earth, heroes and heroines of future humanity, truth be told, early slave rebellions enculturated new trajectory of struggles for freedom and equality, fermenting revolutionary nationalism, contributing towards the demise of feudal aristocracy, reconstructing a new age of our modern society. Defining moments of the universe, the hope of humanity, to which shall bestow, the glory of the soul of freedom, on their shoulders.
It was not the American war of independence or the French revolution, which unleashed Latin American wars of independence or the African liberation struggles, but the new trajectory of Maroon revolutionary nationalism, which inspired European nationalism, against feudalism. The truth is that the new world of democracy was found by those who demanded freedom, celebrated slave men and women, enlightening the European oligarchy, necessity of struggles for emancipation.
Few months upon arrival of the first contingent of recorded African slaves in the Hispaniola in 1502, most of the African slaves, enduring harsh enslavement conditions in the hands of the colonial masters, had to escape to the mountain forests, establishing maroon communities. Working in solidarity with the Taino people, liberating themselves, from systematic and indiscriminate rampant acts of massacres, rape, torture.
Appalling working conditions, harshest conditions of existence, having lost their being, without any rights, property of the slave masters, working deadly hours without enough food or renumeration, masters killing slaves for whatever reason not a crime, women and girls raped at the pleasure of the master, whipping and torture. In her book the story of an enslaved person, the renowned slave author, Olaudah Equiano, had to say the following about her own living experiences:
“It was very common for a slave to be branded with the initial letter of the master’s and a load of heavy iron hooks hung about their necks. They were loaded with chains and often instruments of torture were added, the iron muzzle, thumb screws, were sometimes applied for just a slightest fault.
“I have seen a Negro beaten till some of his bones were broken for letting a pot boil over.”
Exemplifying horrible tales about the cruelty of slavery, Frederick Douglass, says the following:
“I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom my master used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back, till she was literally covered with blood.
“I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition, it was the first of a long series of such outrages, of which I was doomed to be witness and participant, it was a blood stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery.”
The unbearable conditions of atrocities and abuses, left most of the slave workforce, with no option but to fight for their own liberation, most fleeing the prison cottages in the plantations, wondering wild animals in the thick of the forest mountains, having to survive as a minute passes. They have to use the inch of the eye, dark hours of the unknown, seeking freedom, life greater than we see.
The African slaves together with the local Taino indigenous communities, built sustainable autonomous maroon states in the mountain forests, cultivating rice, sugar, vegetables and other basic necessities. They employed guerrilla tactics, of sabotage, destroying the infrastructure, killing of owners of plantations and families, livestock and burning of farm produce.
Overwhelmed by the colossus spirit of resistance by the African slaves, and strong alliance with the indigenous Taino communities, the new Governor of the Hispaniola, Governor Avando, wrote a letter to the King of Spain, complaining of African slaves, fleeing to the Baoruco mountain forests, forming maroon communities, forging movements of liberation against Spanish colonial authorities. In the letter he says:
“They fled amongst the Indians and taught them bad customs and never would be captured.”
On Christmas eve of the year 1521, in Nueva Isabella sugar plantation, owned by Governor Diego Columbus, the son of the renowned Christopher Columbus, Maria Olafa, working in alliance with the local indigenous communities of the Taino, led an unprecedented insurrection against their colonial masters, burning properties, killing Spanish Christians, stealing precious belongings, poisoning water resources and destroying infrastructure, the most bloody event untold, against colonial authorities, in the history of the colonial American archipelago.
Few days after dispatchment of thousands of superior colonial forces, using sophisticated armoury, the Spanish authorities suppressed the rebellion, those involved receiving harsh punishment of death penalty or hard labour, and with the leader of the slave insurrection, Maria Olofa, executed before the eyes of them all, her head put at the main entrance entering the state complex, a deterrent to other slaves not to repeat the same treason.
On January the 6th 1522, the colonial authorities introduced a code of strict laws, prohibiting free movement of both the African slaves and local Taino people, prohibiting them from ownership of weapons, punishing those assisting slaves escape to the mountains, giving colonial masters indiscriminate powers to execute and inflict heavy punishment, to those found to be involved in activities, undermining colonial establishment.
On the occasion of this day, we pay tribute to her magnanimity, courage, selfishness, heroism, her everlasting vigour to the cause of struggles for liberation. We pay tribute to her heroism, leading the forefront trenches of the struggles, against imperialism and colonialism.
We dedicate her living memories, to the struggles waged by women throughout the world, facing insurmountable difficulties, fighting for their place in the realms of power relations, dreams of a better future. We shall forever be encouraged by the remarkable feats of courage and heroism, the universe home of peace.
Her journey is a symbol of human solidarity and internationalism, triumph of human spirit against adversity, defining the necessity of freedom. We owe her generation, what history cannot give, the souls of our hearts, building the path to a better future.
Our legendary leader, the mother of all warriors, Maria Olofa, was larger than history itself, higher than the stars, planet of the moon, the august house of human progress, her courage and felicity, the world shall be, our struggle is our freedom, triumph against adversity, we shall achieve. The sounds of the trumpet, on the cutting-edge of the horizons, shall call those to have been true apostles of the future world of peace and tranquility.
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Ambassador Phatse Justice Piitso is a member of the African National Congress, writing this article in his personal capacity.