Paterson Joseph (2022) The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho.

Black Lives Matter. The moron’s moron Trump proved they don’t. Ripping up a Black Lives monument in Washington wasn’t exactly Kristlenacht. Just a little reminder. A little nudge. Know your place. Class matters. Race and skin colour matter more is the kind of argument Paterson Joseph became involved in.

‘Critical fabulation’ based on a real character, a black man in Georgian London, Charles Ignatius Sancho. In other words fiction. A reminder Black Lives do matter and did matter.  By the 1740s London’s population had surpassed half a million, making it the largest city in Europe at the time and one the richest nations on Earth. Around 30 000 were black or considered coloured. Those white people that owned the land owned the people on the land, which is still largely true, worked many of their coloured brethren to death. The Hanoverian Kings were on the English throne. The aristocracy was and remains a tax on the poorest. 

Dressing it up in self-righteous propaganda. 

No blacks, No Irish and No dogs. Common signs on rental properties until the early 1960s in Britain and London in particular.

Charles Ignatius Sancho has been taken off a slave ship. His older self, 40 years later, is writing an account of his life for his son Billy (and contemporary readers). He begins in 1729. ‘Origins.’ Breech birth.

He is an orphan. Given by his master to a trio of elderly sisters as a plaything. A childish presence to amuse and perhaps warm their bed. Until that idea becomes indecent, when he grows and has his own thoughts. No longer seeks to know his place.

He has two allies. One rich and one poor. Tilly, the serving girl, treats him kindly and as an equal their pampered pet.

‘Spoilage of Negroes, through education is studiously avoided by many of our Enlightened European masters and mistresses.’ His mistress Florence and her sisters would not spoil him in that way. It was going against nature.   

He’s seven years old when he runs away. A black ‘Butterball’ as a ‘Slave-Catcher’, William Till calls him. He captures him easily with ‘a grip of iron.’ Runaways are easily identified by their skin. Freed slaves must have papers. Most blacks did not. Some had absconded from their American masters and taken to the London Streets. Most notably around the Seven Dials, where the Irish, the coloured and the poorest congregated. English law lent on its hypocrisy to allow one man to own another. They were outside the law.

This was to change in Sancho’s lifetime.  A ruling that one man could not own another.

A position taken by  His Grace, John the Duke of Montagu. ‘One of the best men to have ever graced the earth.’

He saves Sancho from the Slave-Trader, but has to return to his mistresses. But with a nod and wink and with Tilly’s help ensures he has the education in music and literature that every man—and perhaps even some women—deserves.

You probably wondered what happened next. Paterson Joseph couldn’t find a publisher. Nobody much wanted to read about a fat black man with gout that was well known to the Georgian king and his family, friends with London notables and had appeared onstage with David Garrick, had his picture painted by Gainsborough and traded letters with Sterne. Read on    

Notes.

1. Racial Inequality and Systemic Racism: The trade entrenched racial hierarchies that continue to influence social, economic, and political systems. Discrimination and systemic racism remain pervasive issues in many parts of the world.

2. Economic Disparities: The wealth generated by the slave trade and plantation economies significantly contributed to the development of Western nations, while African nations suffered from the loss of human resources and exploitation. These economic imbalances persist today.

3. Cultural Impact: The forced migration of millions of Africans led to the creation of rich and diverse diasporic cultures, blending African traditions with those of the Americas and Europe. However, it also caused a loss of cultural heritage for many descendants of enslaved people.

4.Social and Psychological Trauma: The dehumanization and violence of slavery left lasting scars on individuals and communities, contributing to intergenerational trauma.

5. Global Movements for Justice: The legacy of slavery has inspired movements for civil rights, reparations, and social justice, highlighting the need to address historical injustices.

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