Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori was a prince from Timbo in West Africa, who was captured by a hostile tribe in 1788, sold to slave traders, and brought to Natchez, MS, where he was purchased by cotton/tobacco farmer Thomas Foster, and made an overseer on Foster's flourishing plantation. Although Foster was aware of the man's royal lineage, he nonetheless refused to sell him until 1828, after politicians intervened—including President John Quincy Adams and Secretary of State Henry Clay—allowing Abdul Rahman to return to Africa with his wife (although they had to leave their children behind). Abdul Rahman died soon after at the age of 67 in Monrovia, Liberia, without ever seeing his homeland again. Narrated by Mos Def, filmmaker Andrea Kalin's hour-long PBS documentary Prince Among Slaves combines dramatic reenactments, period artwork, archival documents, and interviews with scholars (including Terry Alford, on whose groundbreaking biography the film is based) into a smooth whole to relate this amazing—and poignant—story. DVD extras include four featurettes on slavery in general, the particular legacy of Muslim slavery, Abdul Rahman's kingdom of Futa Jallon, and Mos Def. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)
Prince Among Slaves
(2008) 60 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.95 w/PPR). PBS Video. Closed captioned. ISBN: 0-7936-9418-3. Volume 23, Issue 3
Prince Among Slaves
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