The Middle Passage: 105 Days

In The Middle Passage: 105 Days, Estella Conwill Majozo returns after her award-winning autobiography, Come Out the Wilderness, to delve into the awesome voyage of her captured ancestors. Many accounts of the Middle Passage have been verbalized and visualized through fiction and non-fiction, such as Charles Johnson’s Middle Passage and the historic description of the Amistad Revolt. Other accounts include Margaret Walker’s Jubilee, which chronicles the genius of African struggle against formidable odds, and Alex Haley’s Roots, which describes the brutal subjugation of the African flesh and spirit. Also, Toni Morrison’s Beloved features the unrelenting resistance against slavery’s continuing horrors, and the work of Tom Feelings portrays through deftly drawn lines and subtle renderings the horrors and courage endured during those dark days for many Africans. Yet, the story of the countless millions of enslaved Africans cannot be told enough times or in too many different ways.

In this poetic narrative, Majozo communes with her ancestors to conjure up a memorable primal cadence that conveys the anguish, sorrow, suffering, and triumph of the people despite the oppressive conditions of the Middle Passage. Robert Douglas’ drawings also illustrate Majozo’s narrative imagery creatively and are sensitive and passionate portrayals of Majozo’s poetic expressions.