The Enslaved West African Prince Who Wrote His Way Free

The Enslaved West African Prince Who Wrote His Way Free

Captured at age twenty-six and sold into American slavery, Abdul-Rahman Ibrahima Sori was a West African prince and literate Muslim scholar who spent forty years in Mississippi captivity. An Arabic manuscript transcribed from memory sparked an international diplomatic campaign that reached the White House and the Sultan of Morocco, ultimately securing his manumission.

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Show notes

Abdul-Rahman Ibrahima was a West African prince enslaved in Mississippi for nearly forty years.

A chance market encounter with a doctor who visited his homeland failed to win his freedom.

His Arabic transcription of a Quranic passage was mistaken by captors for the Lord's Prayer.

Morocco's Sultan successfully lobbied the Adams administration to secure Abdul-Rahman's manumission.

Freedom came with the strict legal condition of leaving the country and his enslaved children behind.

He died of fever in Liberia just months before reaching his native home in Fouta Djallon.

In this episode
  1. 01Intro1 min
  2. 02A Royal Education and the Middle Passage2 min
  3. 03A Chance Encounter in the Natchez Market3 min
  4. 04The Letter That Reached Two Presidents and an Emperor2 min
  5. 05The Northern Tour and the Tragic Return2 min
  6. 06Outro1 min
Sources
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The Enslaved West African Prince Who Wrote His Way Free — Fylom