CHILDREN OF HOPE, the odyssey of the Oromo slaves from Ethiopia to South Africa

334pp., illus., maps, paperback, First SA Edition, Cape Town, 2019

Originally published in the USA in 2018.

A group biography of the 64 Oromo children who were sent to Lovedale Institution, A Free Church of Scotland mission in the Eastern Cape. The children, enslaved in Ethiopia, were freed when the British navy intercepted two shipments in 1888 and 1889.The missionaries interviewed each of the children, leaving a rare collection of first-hand narratives.

"Shell shines new light into the great void of the actual experiences of enslavement in Africa, arguably the single most pervasive motivator of historical changes in the continent for up to three centuries. She tells a dramatic story with restraint, poise, and dignity." Joseph Miller, author of The Problem of Slavery as History

"Children of Hope advances our knowledge of slavery and abolition in Northeast Africa and the Indian Ocean World using a truly remarkable set of sources and a novel approach. Shell fills significant gaps in our knowledge of children and slavery, the practice of slave trading, and the lived experiences of liberated Africans in the Red Sea region." Matthew Hopper, author of Slaves of One Master

Sandra Rowoldt Shell has worked as a professional academic research librarian in African studies for several decades. She is presently Senior Research Associate (Cory Library), Rhodes University.