Saturday & the Witch Woman

Kwambe AnsongBorn on Saturday Seventh Born ChildOn August 22 1791 the Haitian war of independence began in flames. On that night known as the Night of the Fire over 100000 slaves rose up against their hated French overlords burning every plantation and executing every French man woman and child they could find.One slave named Saturday dared save the lives of his masters two young white children smuggled them to safety and fostered them over a period of 40 years. Delivered through a series of 11 epistles (letters) author/historian Thomas O. Ott accurately describes the history and social landscape of Saturdays time telling the true version of his life not just what plantation masters and their families wanted and even required hearing.Despite being a slave Saturday was not only literate but was widely read and spoke seven languages: Two were African (Ewe and Yoruba) two were Afro-American (Haitian Creole and Lowcountry Gullah) and three were European (English French and Spanish). Even as he unfolds his lifes story Saturday recognized the danger of releasing it during his lifetime even to his boys. Thus it was not until Saturdays death in 1850 that Philip Chartrand the older of the children learned the true story of Saturday & the Witch Woman.