Summary

"Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’" is a powerful and important work by Zora Neale Hurston, detailing the life of Cudjo Lewis, also known as Kossola, the last known survivor of the Clotilda, the last American slave ship to bring Africans to the United States. Through Hurston's meticulous and compassionate interviews, Kossola recounts his early life in Africa, the horrific raid that led to his capture, the unimaginable horrors of the barracoon, and the agonizing journey across the Atlantic.

Kossola's narrative vividly portrays the richness of his Yoruba culture, his family life, and the traditions and customs that shaped his identity. He speaks of his grandfather, an officer of the king, and describes the initiation rituals and war training that prepared him for manhood. However, his life takes a devastating turn when his village is attacked by Dahomian warriors, who capture and enslave him and many others. He is then marched to the coast, where he is imprisoned in a barracoon, a holding pen for enslaved Africans awaiting transport to the Americas.

The journey across the Atlantic aboard the Clotilda is harrowing, with Kossola detailing the cramped conditions, the lack of food and water, and the constant fear of the unknown. Upon arriving in America, he and his fellow captives are smuggled ashore and forced into slavery, enduring the hardships and injustices of plantation life. Despite the dehumanizing conditions, Kossola never loses sight of his African heritage and yearns to return to his homeland. After emancipation, he and other survivors of the Clotilda establish Africatown, a community where they can preserve their culture and traditions.

Hurston's writing captures Kossola's voice with remarkable authenticity, preserving his dialect and idiomatic expressions. Through his story, "Barracoon" offers a unique and invaluable perspective on the experience of being stolen from one's homeland, forced into slavery, and the struggle to maintain one's identity in the face of unimaginable adversity. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a powerful indictment of the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.