LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

Review of THE OLD AFRICAN

A. Lester, Julius, and Jerry Pinkney, illustrator. 2005. New York: Dial
ISBN 0803725647.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
The old African used to be called Jaja and his wife was named Ola. In the dark of night their village is raided and the two, with hundreds of others are captured by other Africans whose tribe and language they do not recognize. After days and days of walking through jungles they hear a very loud roar that they do not recognize. It is the roar of the ocean waves. As they get closer to seaside they see many white men. Jaja's culture has taught him about the "Lord of the Dead" who is milky white in color. His role is similar to that of the Grim Reaper of legend. The captured Africans are suprised because they believed their was only a single figure who was The Lord of the Dead but because of their cruel behavior the captured ones believed them to all be "Lords" of the dead. The book realistically takes us through the experience of the Africans being shaved and undressed and the white men touching them repeatedly to assure their sturdiness, muscles, and general health. In the downstairs cabins they are forced to sleep on their sides while they are shackled to each other by foot, neck, and waist. Lester tells the important details such as their heads having to rest on the African in front of them. The heat and body odor for such an extended time left many reguritating. In the morning the soon to be slaves were covered in feces and smelled of urine. They were given a bucket of sea water in which to wash off with above in the open part of the ship. Ola jumps to her death after a white man fondles her breast repeatedly in public. As she resurfaces she seems to be smiling. Jaja seems to think she was even laughing so he is happy for her soul rather than steeped in sadness at his personal loss. The rest of the narrative is about the "Old African" who is a herbalist and a powerful magician in the mythological sense. He can focus his mind so intensely and when someone is suffering greatly he projects the opposite of their pain and he can always ease their pain and sometimes obliterate it. He has a strong power for healing and putting messages into another's mind.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
THE OLD AFRICAN is an especially moving and empowering tale and that is in large part because the story is rooted in truth. Some people like to quibble about what is truth and what is fiction. It is moot point for some of us. I believe King Arthur was a very real person and that there were/are compilations of him throughout history. In the same vein Lester and Pinkney make me believe in the essence, in the truth of the Old African because to believe in the African is to believe in what is best in all of us.

Jaja is an archetype of the physically huge all knowing benevolent African who gets just a drop of extra tolerance and freedom from his boss. He is very reminiscent of the character John Coffey from Stephen King's novel and movie screenplay, THE GREEN MILE. Coffey served as a sin eater and had otherworldly powers as does the "Old African" In the end Jaja, the Old African, leads his people off Riley's plantation back to the ocean where they walk across the ocean floor and have no physical problems such as breathing. The story is based in large part about a legend from the Georgia coast that an oppressed group of slaves walked across the bottom of the ocean and ended back where they had come from. The story is inspiring and extremely moving. Both Lester and Pinkney offer a united collage of another world, place, and time, where horror and miracles exist side by side each day.

The illustrations and story are very realistic and well researched. As a longtime fan of Lester and Pinkney I must say they have outdone themselves in this powerful, majestic tale. The daily chores, picking cotton in the fields, the slave quarters, the beating of a runaway slave all ring with truth. The motif of family is very strong in the story and the interdependence and respect for the elders in a quasi family such as during slavery or a "traditional" family before the Africans come to America. Jaja had a mentor that taught him his magic and humanity or taught him how to handle his gifts. The family quality of the story shows the Old African's familial role as his mentor dies on the ship and both he and Ola's father passed away early on after the raid in the night. Those sorrows are overshadowed in the end as the Old African takes on their strength, their roles to help and train others. As Rocham says in STORIES MATTER: "Racism dehumanizes, but a good story defeats the stereotype." The Old African is a masterful story full of drama and hope. While never being derogatory towards the plantation owner the response of the Old African and his friends is transcendent and awe inspiring. A glorious and moving story for all ages and ethnicities. The books ends but the feelings and message cannot. I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
A starred review in School Library Journal includes, "As the story opens, the Old African is watching a boy being whipped on a plantation in Georgia. He is putting a picture into the minds of his comrades--a picture of water as soft and cool as a lullaby --and the picture stops the boy's pain. The Old African doesn't speak--he hasn't since he was brought over on a slave ship--why should he when there is no one who would understand? As he cares for the boy, who had been whipped for running away, a hope sprouts in his mind--a wayto return home and he uses his powers to take his people on an incredible journeyhome. Lester's story is based on a legend about Ybo Landing, Georgia, where a group of slaves walked into the water, saying they were walking to Africa."

Booklist adds in a starred review, "Lester has brought the African American slavery experience to young readers. Complemented by Pinkney's powerful illustration, this picture book presents an unflinching account of the brutal history and personal courage, told with a lyrical magic realism that draws on slave legend and the dream of freedom."

Reviews accessed on: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0803725647/sr=1-1/qid=1182646586/ref=dp_proddesc_0/103-0793530-6662216?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1182646586&sr=1-1

CONNECTIONS:
Other slave folktales such as:
Hamilton, Virginia. THE PEOPLE COULD FLY: AMERICAN BLACK FOLKTALES.
San Souci, Robert and Brian Pinkney. SUKEY AND THE MERMAID
Also consider Lester has many other slave narrative stories