Zolu Duma

Zolu Duma (aka King Peter) was an Gola ruler of the land which now contains Monrovia, Liberia. At a young age Zolu Duma was placed with Wuling, of the Bassa people who had gained importance as a merchant trading with the Europeans.[1]

In 1822 Zolu Duma met with representatives of the American Colonization Society, including United States naval officer Robert F. Stockton, who wished to purchase land on which to settle African American emigrants from the United States.[2] Accounts of the meeting stated that Stockton forced Zolu Duma to cede the land at gunpoint:

Drawing another pistol and levelling at the head of King Peter, and directing him to sit silent until he heard what was to be said, [Stockton] proceeded to say, in the most solemn manner…he had determined that King Peter himself should be the first victim, and that unless he agreed to execute the treaty on the following day his fate was fixed.[3][2]

In Fiction

Zolu Duma appeared as a character in Kwame Kwei-Armah's "King Peter" and Dipika Guha's "Elizabeth," two short plays that premiered at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, in November 2017 as part of the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium.[4][5] He was portrayed by actor Esau Pritchett.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "King Zolu Duma". Liberia History And Culture. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 Hollander, Craig (November 6, 2017). "Navigating Slavery: Robert F. Stockton and the Limits of Antislavery Thought". The Princeton & Slavery Project. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  3. ↑ Bayard, Samuel J. (1856). A Sketch of the Life of Commodore Robert F. Stockton... New York: Derby & Jackson. p. 46.
  4. 1 2 Saxon, Jamie (November 20, 2017). "Princeton and Slavery Symposium explores U.S. history 'writ small,' reveals 'powerful and fruitful' research". Princeton University. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  5. ↑ Saxon, Jamie (November 9, 2017). "Listen, read, create: Exploring the Princeton and Slavery Project through the arts". Princeton University. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
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