Rosa van Bengalen – sold for refusing to obey
Women who were seen as troublesome in their own societies were sometimes sold into slavery. Dutch slave buyers’ preference for male slaves was often overshadowed by local sellers’ desire to get rid of difficult women. One example occurred in 1695 when the Malagasy King Andian Xiamante tried to sell the same woman three times. Finally he made the Dutch buy her at gunpoint. On the same voyage the king’s eldest son sold his unwanted wife, the Princess Sara No Moya, into slavery.
Rosa of Bengalen is the only recorded instance of such a sale in the Cape. Her deed of sale is the only example of an owner admitting that the reason for the sale was to get rid of a defiant slave (although we are never told exactly what it is that Rosa did).
Rosa first appeared in the public records when she was sold in Cape Town in 1723 by Daniel Jonas to Harman Guttner, an indentured servant.
Two years later in 1725 she and her child, named Hijn van de Caab, were bought by Johannes Zacharias Beck, a burgher tapster. [i]
Five years later Beck organised a slave transfer that left no doubt about his wish to be rid of Rosa. Rosa was swapped in a shore-to-ship transfer – leaving her absolutely no chance of escape – in return for the off-loading of Meij of Madagascar.
The ship Rosa was boarded onto was the Rudge, filled with hundreds of slaves bound for the River Plate in South America. Rosa was forced to leave her child behind. Written instructions to the English ship’s captain, Francis Williams, were that “she must never be allowed freedom and is no Christian.”[ii]
Rosa van Bengalen – verkoop omdat sy geweier het om te gehoorsaam
Vroue wat gesien is as moeilikheidmakers in hul eie gemeenskappe is partykeer in slawerny verkoop. Hollandse slaafkopers se voorkeur vir manlike slawe is dikwels oorskadu deur die plaaslike verkopers se begeerte om ontslae te raak van moeilkike vroue. Een voorbeeld het voorgekom in 1695 toe die Malgalese Koning Aidian Xiamante probeer het om dieselfde vrou drie keer te verkoop. Uiteindelik het hy die Hollander gedwing, by geweerpunt, om haar te koop. Op dieselfde reis het die koning se oudste seun sy ongewenste vrou, die Prinses Sara No Moya, in slawerny verkoop.
Rosa van Bengalen is die enigste opgetekende voorbeeld van so ‘n verkope in die Kaap. Haar verkoopakte is die enigste voorbeeld van ‘n eienaar wat erken dat die rede vir sy verkope was om ontslae te raak van ‘n uitdagende slaaf (al is daar nooit direk aan ons vertel is wat Rosa gedoen het nie.)
Rosa het eers in die publieke rekords verskyn toe sy in 1723 in Kaapstad verkoop is deur Daniel Jonas aan Harman Gutter, ‘n gekontrakteerde bediende.
Twee jaar later, in 1725, is sy en haar kind, genaamd Hijn van de Caap. gekoop deur Johannes Zacharias Beck, ‘n burgerlike kantienman.
Vyf jaar later het Beck ‘n slawe oordrag gereël, wat geen twyfel gelaat het dat hy van Rosa wou ontslae raak nie. Rosa is geruil in ‘n strand-na-skipruiling – wat geen kans vir ontsnapping laat nie – in ruil vir die aflaai van Meij van Madagascar.
Die skip waarop Rosa gelaai is was die Rudge, gevul met honderde slawe gereed vir die River Plate in Suid Amerika. Rosa is geforseer om haar kind agter te laat. Skriftelike instruksies aan die Engelse skeepskaptein, Francis Williams, was dat “sy nooit vrygelaat mag word nie en dat sy geen Christen is nie.
URosa wase Bengaleni – owathengiselwa ukungalawuleki
Abafazi ababebonwa njengezibhovubhovu ezingalawulekiyo phakathi kwabanye babethengiselwa ebukhobokeni. Nangona bekuvamile kumaDatshi ukuzithengela amakhoboka angamadoda, loo mkhethe ngesini ubuzizithukuthuku zenja (zona ziphelela eboyeni), oko kubangelwa yintoba awona makhoboka ebefikeleleka kolonaniselwano ibikwangala asethyini azizibhovubhovu ezishenxiswa nje emehlweni ngabathengisi. Sikubona oko kusenzeka ngomyaka we 1695 apho ikumnkani yaseMalagasy uAndian Xaiamante elinga ukuthengisa umfazi omnye amatyeli de abemathathu. Ngelingeni, ngomkhono wekati, wanyanzelisa mDatshi uthile ukuba alithenge elikhobokazana lingathengekiyo. Kwakolohambo ngenqanawa, izibulo likakumnkani kukhankanyeka ukuba lathengisa umfazi walo elingakholiswanga nguye, iNkosazana u Sara No Moya.
URosa wase Bengaleni lo, nguye kuphela owasetyhini ekushicelelwe ngaye kwimbali (yalamakhoboka ebethengwa ethingiswa eKapa), ekucaca ukuba ebengalawuleki, eyinkomo enotshobo. Kuphela kwakhe uRosa lo ekubonakala kumaphepha agunyazisa olonaniselwano ngaye, ukuba ebelikhoboka elishenxiswa nje emehlweni ngalo ntengo, oko kusenziwa kukudlokova nokungalawuleki kwakhe (nangona singaxelelwa ngalomaphepha ukuba wenza ntoni ncakasana u Rosa lo).
Intengo kaRosa eKapa ngomnyaka we 1723, ethengiswa ngu Danyeli Jonas, ethengiselwa uHarman Guttner, ivela okokuqala kwimbali eshicilelwe yaze yathiwa pahaha ekuhleni.
Kwadlula iminyaka emibini emva koko, waze yena nosana lwakhe, uHijn van de Caab, bathengwa yinjoli (burgher tapsteri) uZacharias, ngomnyaka we 1725.
Emva kweminyaka emihlanu, wazihlamba izandla zakhe uBeck ngoRosa, wabonakala esenza unakonako wamaphepha okumdudula afudukele ndawo yimbi. Kolonaniselwano lwalusenzeka enyeleni yolwandle kwakungekho nokuba angazama aqhweshe uRosa lo, wayenyembelekile alindele ukuthulwa kwemithwalo yeMeiji yase Madagascar.
Umkhombe wamakhoboka awafakwa kuwo uRosa wawubizwa Rudge, ingumMbo noMxesibe apho, amakhulukhulu emiqodi yamakhoboka isinge kumaZantsi eMelika kumlambo iRiver Plate. Wanyanzeleka azifulathele iintsana zakhe uRosa kuloo mfuduko yetshova. Imiyalelo nemiqathango ngoRosa kuntsumpa obhexesha umkhombe wamaNgesi, ukapteyini Francis Williams, yayisithi “angaze ayibhade nangelishwa inkululeko, kwaye kuthathwe ingqalelo yokuba akangomKrestu(Christianii)”.
