Children of Hope: The Odyssey of the Oromo Slaves from Ethiopia to South Africa

In Children of Hope, Sandra Rowoldt Shell explores the lives of 64 Oromo children enslaved in Ethiopia in the late-nineteenth century, liberated by the British navy, and sent to Lovedale Institution, a Free Church of Scotland mission in South Africa. She provides detailed and contextualized accounts of their experiences, comparing them by gender, age, place of origin, method of capture, identity, and other characteristics. The book is supplemented by graphs, maps, and illustrations that detail the children's origins and lives after capture, honoring their individual stories while placing them in valuable and multifaceted contexts.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 20 August 2018
Publisher: Ohio University Press

In her captivating book, "Children of Hope," Sandra Rowoldt Shell delves into the lives of sixty-four Oromo children who were forcibly enslaved in Ethiopia during the late-nineteenth century. Their journey took an unexpected turn when they were liberated by the British navy and subsequently sent to Lovedale Institution, a Free Church of Scotland mission located in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The remarkable aspect of this story is that Scottish missionaries in Yemen conducted interviews with each of the Oromo children shortly after their liberation, resulting in sixty-four structured life histories that were narrated firsthand by the children themselves.

In the realm of historiography, particularly concerning slavery and the slave trade, first-person narratives are rare, and groups of such narratives are even more uncommon. However, in this analytical group biography, Shell skillfully presents the experiences of the captives in a dispassionate yet profoundly affecting manner. By comparing the children based on various factors such as gender, age, place of origin, method of capture, identity, and other characteristics, Shell offers unique insights that surpass the existing literature for this region and period.

To enhance the reader's understanding, "Children of Hope" is supplemented with detailed graphs, maps, and illustrations that provide a comprehensive account of the demographic and geographic layers of the children's origins and lives after their capture. These visual elements not only enrich the narrative but also honor the individual stories of each child while placing them within invaluable and multifaceted contexts.

Through her meticulous research and storytelling, Sandra Rowoldt Shell has created a remarkable work that sheds light on the lives of these forgotten children and contributes to our broader understanding of the complexities of slavery and its impact on individuals and communities. "Children of Hope" is a testament to the power of history and the importance of preserving and sharing the stories of those who have been marginalized and oppressed.

Weight: 606g
Dimension: 158 x 235 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780821423189