The Acts of the Slave-Traders

The impact of slave trade cannot be overemphasized. Yet we lack stories of this period in our contemporary society. The world of slavery was full of men but ironically, these men were dwarfs. The hero in the book, Okeosisi was a typical slave trader. He rose to greatness from slave boy in his master's compound to an accomplished warrior (Dike) in the clan of Umualo, a clan that bred valiant warriors. Umualo was ruled by a great king, a warrior and an originator of slave business in the...
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The impact of slave trade cannot be overemphasized. Yet we lack stories of this period in our contemporary society. The world of slavery was full of men but ironically, these men were dwarfs. The hero in the book, Okeosisi was a typical slave trader. He rose to greatness from slave boy in his master's compound to an accomplished warrior (Dike) in the clan of Umualo, a clan that bred valiant warriors. Umualo was ruled by a great king, a warrior and an originator of slave business in the clan. During this era, men were men and others -weaklings, women and children were chickens. Men pursued bravery as the only means to survivethe times and attain greatness.As the white men continued to advance into the interior part of Ibo-land, slave trade continued to collapse. But the ghost of Okeosisi's role in the slave trade traced him to his new home through his enemies. He was arrested and was taken to exile. Okeosisi in an effort to explain his sad predicament, said, "Great journey appears on my legs; and itches my feet, when I thought I have arrived. I don't know when and how I will be back" His exile kept the land of Okpolo and Ndi-Ubie to a stand still. And the people feared greatly for the protection, having once suffered and were victims of slave trade. In part three his return as it were brought light to his people. He said "I have found a new world. Here I bring a new world to our land" Generally, the story is about the activities of slave dealers in Ibo land. The focus was on this slave trader by name-Okeosisi and the role he played in the trade. He was destined to live long, be a path finder as well as a leader. He lived long enough to relay these stories on local slave trading, his roles, adventures and achievements before the abolishment of slave trade. Later the arrival of Rev Anthony Wealth of Anglican Church as the first missionary to visit Okpolo and Ndi- Ubie, brought peace of mind to these protection driven people. And of course protection guaranteed freedom. School brought education. And Church brought Christianity. Finally, old things gave way to new developments in these clans. The story in the Acts of the Slave Traders is made very rich with proverbs and idioms quoted directly from the mouth that first said it. The usage of proverbs in Ibo language is highly regarded among the Ibo people. It is the oil the Ibos use in eating words. in THINGS FALL APART written by DISTINGUISHED WRITER, Chinua Achebe. he said " The arts of conversation is hichly regarded among Ibos. proverb is the oil Ibos use in eating words" It means that conversation among precolonial Ibo society involved skills achieved through significant usage of proverbs. This idea has sagged in present Ibo society. This idea was highly practiced in conversation involving orators in ACTS OF THE SLAVE -TRADERS. Bellowing before speech is also given a high degree of importance among the Ibo people. One can also make a clear index of the traditional religion of the people that was not tampered by outside influence as well as communal traditions, wrestling, funeral, New yam festival, traditional education and other things. The book also answers the question of migration found in Ibo lands and also the interest and reaction of the Ibo man to Land ownership and boundaries. When one put all these together, the story in the Acts of the Slave Traders becomes an exhilarating experience!