Hello ,

One of the Crowther stories that has left quite an impression on me over these past months is his recollection of the morning when his hometown of Osoogun was attacked by horse-riding slave raiders in 1821. Several townspeople died, including Ajayi’s father; the town itself was burnt down. 

Ajayi, his mother, two sisters, a cousin and hundreds of others were marched away, effectively becoming slaves. He was just 12 years old. 

Rude awakening

In a letter written from his base in Freetown, and when he was almost 30, Crowther described events of that fateful morning and his year-long journey through different towns, and his experiences of belonging to different buyers.  

“Evening came on, and coming to a spring of water we drank a great quantity, which served us for breakfast, with a little parched corn and dried meat, previously prepared by our victors for themselves,” he said of the first evening as their captors led them to Iseyin, where they would spend their first night away from home.

By the next morning, he was exchange for a horse and separated from his mother and sister, no doubt a sorrowful moment. On and on he and others were taken, from one town to the next, spending anywhere between two to three months in each place. 

Suicidal thoughts

He recorded at least two occasions when he thought of killing himself, one of those times while they were piled into a canoe and headed to their next step.

Though distressed, Ajayi kept his wits about him. Remarkably, he noticed slight changes in the languages of the different communities they stayed in or passed through. 

 “When we left Ijaye, after many halts, we came to a town called Itoko. From Ijaye to Itoko all spoke the Egba dialect, but my mistress spoke Oyo, my own dialect,” he says, adding that in this particular place he was a “perfect stranger”. 

Saved at last

Eventually, they arrived at Eko (Lagos) after being held at Ikosi, which had slave market. Four months later – on 6th April 1822 -- he and 186 other slaves were loaded onto a Portuguese ship, bound for South America. 

But they were in for a shock. 

“In the very same evening, we were surprised by two English men-of-war, and on the next morning found ourselves in the hands of new conquerors, who we at very much dreaded, they being armed with long swords,” Crowther recalls in his letter, written in 1837. 

“In the morning, being called up from the hold, we were astonished to find ourselves among two very large men-of-war and several other brigs. The men-of-war were, His Majesty’s ships Mymidon, Captain J.H Leeke, and Iphigenia, Captain Sir Robert Mends, who captured us on the 7th of April 1822, on the river Lagos.” 

In other news…

The Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) is hosting a Cantata/ Passiontide Concert with the theme: Lift High the Cross, on Sunday 10 April 2022. Arranged by Lloyd Larson, the concert will feature other works by Anton Bruckner, Antonio Lotti, W. A. Mozart, G. F. Handel, Alaba Akinselure and a medley of Passiontide hymns; also, the MUSON Choir and the MUSON Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Sir Emeka Nwokedi. It’s scheduled for 5pm at the Agip Recital Hall. Tickets (08077607788; 07018869125)

Please consider donating to the Crowther Documentary Film Project. 

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Homestead Nig Ent (UBA Acct 1015558184)

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Pelu Awofeso

For: The Bishop Crowther Project