Rediscovering history from the slave trading ships of Africa

The journey begins at the bottom of the sea.

Recalling a June 2015 dive through kelp beds at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, diver Kamau Sadiki spotted something that resembled what he and his colleagues were searching for: “It was a piece of wood stuck between rocks. I hesitated before approaching it, and then a rising wave swept me straight in here.” Sadiki became deeply moved when he realized he was holding a piece of the wreck of the Sao Jose-Papete de Africa, which sank off the coast of Cape Town while transporting over 500 enslaved Africans from Mozambique to Brazil in 1794. It is believed that 212 enslaved people and the crew perished in the disaster.

“It felt like I could hear the voices, the screams, the pain and suffering of all those who were shackled and then died in that shipwreck,” Sadiki recounted. “That’s when I realized I wanted to help them tell their story and put those silent sounds into the annals of history.”

History is buried.

According to the Transatlantic Slave Trade Database, approximately 35,000 ships were used to transport 12 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic between the 15th and 19th centuries. Some did not survive the journey, and an estimated 500 to 1,000 ships, including the Sao Jos-Papete de Africa, sank before reaching their destination. However, only five shipwrecks have been recovered since then, and only two have been fully documented. This means that the remains, along with the stories of the enslaved people, remain buried at the bottom of the sea.

Sadiki is a diving instructor for Diving With a Purpose (DWP), a non-profit organization focused on preserving, documenting, and documenting slave shipwrecks in Africa. He is one of those trying to bring that painful history to light.

DWP was founded in 2003 by Ken Stewart, a member of the National Association of Black Scuba Diving (NABS), and Brenda Lanzendorf, a marine archaeologist from Biscayne National Park. They teamed up after working together on the 2004 documentary “Project Guerrero,” which told the story of a Spanish pirate ship that sank off the coast of Florida while carrying 561 kidnapped Africans.

Stewart pledged to help Lanzendorf locate several shipwrecks and teach other maritime archaeology techniques, while Lanzendorf promised to provide crucial information to locate the Guerrero.

The voices that were not heard

Unfortunately, Lanzendorf passed away in 2008, five years after the DWP was established. At this time, the research team was still uncertain about the exact location of the Guerrero wreck. "If she knew where it (the Guerrero) was, she would have buried it already. So we are still searching," Stewart said.

Over the years, DWP has participated in approximately 18 missions to search for underwater artifacts related to Africans in the Americas. They collaborate with the Slave Shipwreck Project (SWP), a consortium of organizations run by the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.

Maritime archaeologist Tara Roberts takes on the role of narrator for DWP. Like Stewart and Sadiki, she believes it is crucial to bring to light the forgotten voices of enslaved Africans. "At least 1.8 million Africans died in the crossing. Who will speak about this? Who will mourn the lives of those people?" Roberts says.

"We will never know their names, we will never know anything about them. They are gone, and no one grieves for them, no one mourns them. I don't think we should let things continue like this," he emphasized.

Successful searches

One of DWP's most recent achievements was in 2019, when they helped locate the Clotilda, the last slave ship to bring enslaved Africans to the United States. The ship is believed to have arrived sometime between 1859 and 1860, years after the slave trade was abolished in 1808. Roberts explained, "The Clotilda was traveling illegally to West Africa, carrying about 110 Africans."

As soon as the ship docked safely, the slaves were unloaded, and Clotilda was burned to death to destroy all evidence of the illegal crossing. Later, after the slaves were freed, many returned to the area hoping to return to West Africa. By 1866, they had established the first African American town in America, called Africatown.

Unlike some other slave shipwrecks, the story of the people aboard the Clotilda is remarkably well-documented. In fact, a significant number of descendants of those African slaves still live in Africatown today. Tests are underway to verify if anyone matches the DNA found in the wreckage.

Sadiki, one of the divers who helped locate the ship, said: “What’s amazing about this story is not just the illegal human trafficking, but also that there’s still a large community connected to that ship. So we’re working with them to tell the story of the Clotilda.”

For many years, Africatown has been plagued by industrial pollution, a declining population, and poverty. “Some terrible things have happened to the community here. But hopefully, with the discovery of Clotilda, we can begin to bring prosperity, peace, and most importantly, justice to Africatown,” Sadiki shared.

Healing

Archaeologist Roberts believes that by delving into the past of those who perished on the boat and recounting those stories, healing can begin. "I think that much of how we (African Americans) see ourselves is through the lens of trauma, pain, and grief," she says.

“Those ideas, feelings, and perspectives are often brought up when talking about the stories of Black people. I don’t think that’s everything; it’s not complete. I’m more interested in the specifics, and I believe our story didn’t begin with slavery.”

Stewart also strongly agrees with this view. He co-founded the Tennessee Aquatic Development and Project Group, aiming to engage young people in the organization and in diving. In 2011, he began developing it.The group of young divers had a purpose.(YDWP), targeting ages 15 to 23. For Stewart, involving the younger generation is crucial, as he believes many young people are not fully aware of slavery.

Stewart said, "In America, our history (as African Americans) has been ignored. They don't really teach anything about slavery in schools. And I think, 'if you don't know your history, you're bound to repeat it.' It's important that we teach the next generation. They're the ones who will turn things around."

Now, at 76, Stewart remains actively involved in DWP activities, but he knows that one day he will have to stop. However, there is one goal he will always cherish before retiring: “My tenure with DWP is coming to an end, and I certainly want to finish by finding the Guerrero wreck. But what I really want to do more than anything is to educate and inspire some young people to continue developing DWP,” he shared.

"There are thousands of ships out there that have yet to be found. And we want to continue this historical quest."Ken Stewart.

Huyen Chau