Asakiyume mita

I promise it won't be all activism all the time at asakiyume dot livejournal dot com, but sometimes things happen all at once.

Back in 2010, when I was doing research for Pen Pal, I found out about Africatown, a unique community in Mobile, Alabama, home to descendants of people brought to America on the last slave ship, in 1860. People in this community spoke African languages well into the twentieth century. When I went to Alabama, I visited a memorial in the community (pictures here), and I've always thought it would be great if someone from the area were to write a history of it--or historical fiction.

But alas, what's happening instead is an oil pipeline is being put right through the community, with no communication with community members, jobs promised but not delivered--the typical story of disregard of the wellbeing of people in minority communities. As one protestor points out, a violation of the Environmental Justice Act of 1984. As this protest was being filmed, the construction crew were demolishing a baseball field at the local elementary school--now the children can't go out for physical education. The pipeline also runs right next to a community garden.

Watch on YouTube

The community seems well organized and has at least some support in the wider area. Hopefully their protest will be heard and some changes will be made to the route of the pipeline . . . though where and how. . . can it be stopped altogether--who knows. . .

Meanwhile more on Irom Sharmila, from the previous entry. She has a court date this Thursday. amaebi took the initiative and wrote to John Kerry, in his capacity as secretary of state, via this handy contact form, to ask that he press the Indian government on her behalf and on behalf of her cause. Inspired, I did too. I'll enclose the letter under a cut in case anyone else would like to send a letter and wants some thoughts on talking points.

If people would like to write to Sharmila directly, I do have a contact address. Send me a message via LJ, and I'll share it. I intend to write her myself, tonight or tomorrow.

( letter to Secretary Kerry )

I promise next entry will be something lighter!

Although our bus arrived in Mobile, that wasn't our final destination--we rented a car so that we could go all around Mobile Bay. On our first day, though, we did look for something in Mobile: the remains of Africatown.

We learned there was a welcome center, and we went there, arriving at high noon.


Graveyard visible across the street.

It seemed both abandoned and haunted. Abandoned, because there was long grass growing up around the golden commemorative busts and the plaques, and because the building was badly damaged; haunted, because although the door was locked and no one answered when we knocked, we could hear a radio playing inside.


John Henry Smith, former mayor of Prichard, Alabama, who organized a twin-cities relationship between Prichard (north of Mobile) and Ouidah, Benin (Whydah--the city in Africa from which slave ships departed for the New World).


Cudjo Kussola Lewis, last survivor of the slave ship Clothilde. The Encyclopedia of Alabama says, "Zora Neale Hurston filmed him, and he is thus the only known African deported through the slave trade whose moving image exists."


Thomas Azinsou Akodjinou is a filmmaker; Felix Yao Amenyo Enklu owns the Amey entertainment group of companies.

Across the street was a graveyard. In the graveyard was a man, digging a new grave. I went over to ask him if he knew anything about the welcome center. Next to him was a casket, lying on green cloth partway in the the grave. The gravedigger told me he'd been working there since 10 am and hadn't seen anyone enter or leave the building.

... There was something very Southern Gothic about the whole situation.

Two days later, we stumbled upon this plaque in the village of Daphne. We were happy to read about the success of a child of one of the former slaves from the Clothilde, and it kind of made up for not being able to go into the welcome center.


"In this cemetery is buried Russell Dick, whose mother, Lucy, came into Mobile on the last voyage of the slave ship, Clothilde. He is remembered as an outstanding and industrious citizen who acquired much land in the area and once owned all the downtown of Daphne."