Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History

Author Trevor R. Getz and illustrator Liz Clarke’s Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History traces enslaved woman Abina Mansah’s journey under Quamina Eddoo’s governance to Cape Coast, where she fights for her freedom in court. The graphic novel is divided into five parts, including a graphic history, court transcripts, a section on historical context, a reading guide, and a section on ways of engaging with the text through scholarly essays and other resources.

This guide is based on the 2016 Oxford University Press paperback second edition.

Content Warning: Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History depicts and references human trafficking and slavery, forced marriage, physical abuse, sexual assault, colonization, racism, gender-based discrimination, and victim-blaming.

Summary

Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History follows the early to mid-1870s, during which British colonists invaded West Africa’s Gold Coast and deposed the kings of the Asante Confederation to take control of their gold and slave trade. In 1876, when the story begins, England started to abolish slavery, but they continue to import children, particularly young girls, to work and are willing to ignore unpaid labor—especially palm oil-related labor.

Part 1: “The Graphic History” (told with art and text) traces Abina Mansah’s journey under Quamina Eddoo’s governance to Cape Coast, where she fights for her freedom in court.