Beyond Slavery
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Slavery in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Scripture and Religious Law
Christianity, Religion of the Slaveholders and the Enslaved
Sexual Assault and Exploitation Under U.S. Slavery and Jim Crow
How Slavery Has Shaped Our Understandings of Marriage and Friendship
Slavery, Violence, and the State
Mende Nazer
Mende Nazer lost her childhood at age twelve, when she was sold into slavery. It all began one horrific night in 1993, when Arab raiders swept through her Nuba village in the Sudan, burning the buildings, murdering the adults, and kidnapping Mende and thirty other children.
Mende was raped and held prisoner by her captors, and then was sold to a wealthy Arab family who lived in Sudan's capital city, Khartoum. So began her dark years of enslavement. Her Arab owners called her "yebit," an obscene term for a black slave. She was forced to call them "master." She was subjected to appalling physical and mental abuse and neglect. She slept in a shed and ate the family leftovers like a dog. She had no rights, no freedom, and no life of her own.
Seven years after she was seized and sold into slavery, she was sent to work for another master -- a diplomat working in the United Kingdom. In London, despite the huge risk it could have been to her life, Mende managed to make contact with other Sudanese, who took pity on her. In September 2000, she made a dramatic break for freedom.
SLAVE is a story almost beyond belief. It depicts the strength and dignity of the Nuba tribe. It recounts the savage way in which the Nuba and their ancient culture are being destroyed by a secret modern-day trade in slaves. Most of all, it is a remarkable testimonial to one young woman's unbreakable spirit and tremendous courage.