William Ansah Sessarakoo

**William Ansah Sessarakoo** (  1736 - 1770), wani fitaccen sarki na ƙarni na 18 na Fante kuma jami'in diflomasiyya, wanda aka fi sani da bautar da shi a Yammacin Indies da aikin diflomasiyya zuwa Ingila . Ya kasance sananne a cikin mutanen Fante kuma yana da tasiri a tsakanin Turawa da suka shafi cinikin bayi na transatlantic.

Bayan mahaifinsa, John Corrente, ya aika da ɗan'uwan Ansah zuwa Faransa, sai ya aika Ansah zuwa Ingila don samun ilimi, ya sami tagomashi tare da Burtaniya, kuma ya zama idanunsa da kunnuwansa a Turai. Kyaftin din jirgin ya danƙa wa Ansah jigilar, duk da haka, a maimakon haka ya sayar da shi cikin bautar a Barbados kafin ya isa Ingila.

Shekaru bayan haka, wani dan kasuwa na Fante kyauta ya gano Ansah a Barbados kuma da sauri ya faɗakar da John Corrente game da makomar ɗansa. Corrente ya roki Birtaniya da su 'yantar da Ansah, kuma Kamfanin Royal African na Burtaniya ya 'yantar Ansah kuma ya kai shi Ingila. A Ingila a shekara ta 1748, an karɓi Ansah a matsayin yarima kuma ya sami girmamawa daga manyan al'ummomin London. Mafi mahimmanci, ya kalli wasan kwaikwayon *Oroonoko,* kuma, abin mamaki ga masu sauraro, ya gudu daga gidan wasan kwaikwayon cikin hawaye. Wasan ya nuna wani yarima na Afirka wanda bautar da ba daidai ba wanda mai yiwuwa ya tunatar da Ansah da yawa game da kansa.

Bayan ya dawo Anomabo, Ansah ya fara aiki a matsayin marubuci a Cape Coast Castle, babban kagara na Burtaniya a Gold Coast. Bayan barin Cape Coast a cikin mummunan yanayi, Ansah ya yi aiki a matsayin mai sayar da bayi. Ba a san cikakkun bayanai game da mutuwarsa ba.

## Rayuwa ta farko

An haifi Ansah a Annamaboe, Anomabu na zamani, Ghana c. 1736. Annamaboe ita ce tashar jiragen ruwa mafi girma a lokacin a Gold Coast (Ghana ta zamani). Mahaifinsa, John Corrente, shi ne shugaban gwamnatin Anomabo, kuma babban caboceer (ɗaya daga cikin jami'an yankin da ke da alhakin samar da bayi na Afirka ga 'yan kasuwa na Turai), kuma muhimmin abokin tarayya ga duk wanda ke zaune ko kasuwanci a cikin birni. Dangane da haka, Ansah da iyalinsa suna da sha'awa ga yawancin 'yan siyasa na Turai da ke fafatawa don samun damar cinikayya mai yawa daga Annamaboe. Tun da mahaifinsa ya kasance shugaban karamar hukuma kuma mutum ne mai tasiri.

Annamaboe ta wakilci babban sha'awa ga 'yan kasuwa na Turai ciki har da Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Ingilishi, da Faransanci a gabar tekun Afirka ta Yamma. A zahiri, Annamaboe ita ce babbar tashar sayar da bayi a Gold Coast na Afirka. Ta hanyar haihuwar Ansah, duk da haka, manyan masu fafatawa don kasuwanci tare da mutanen Annamaboe sune Faransanci da Ingilishi. Yayinda ake sayar da wasu kayayyaki a Annmaboe, kasuwancin farko ya kasance a cikin bayi. Duk da haka, mutanen Fante na Annamaboe ba sa sayar da juna zuwa bautar; yawancin bayi da aka sayar a Annamaboee mutanen Fante ne suka samo su daga cikin Afirka.

Wani karamin rukuni na masu hikima da aka sani da caboceers ne ke mulkinsa, daya daga cikinsu an dauke shi Braffo ko shugaban caboceer, rawar da John Corrente ya cika. Duk da yake an girmama Turawa a Annamaboe sosai, ikon ya kasance a hannun 'yan Afirka. Duk da haka, Ingilishi sun yi amfani da wasu iko a kan mazauna yankin ta hanyar Fort William, da Faransanci ta hanyar jiragen ruwa na ruwa.

John Corrente ya aika daya daga cikin 'yan uwan Ansah zuwa Faransa a farkon shekarun 1740, kuma wannan ɗan'uwan ya koma Annamaboe tare da ilimin Turai da kuma ilimin Faransa. Duk da haka, karfafa dangantakar Corrente da Faransa, ta damu da 'yan kasuwa na Ingila a Annamaboe. Hakanan, Kamfanin Royal African na Ingila ya ba da gudummawa don karɓar bakuncin wani daga cikin 'ya'yan Corrente. Corrente, mai sha'awar buga Ingila da Faransa daga juna don amfanin Annamaboe, da sauri ya amince da aika Ansah.

Yayinda yake yaro, Ansah ya shafe lokaci mai yawa a Fort William kuma, a cikin tsari, ya sami ƙwarewa a Turanci da godiya ga al'adun ƙasar da al'adun. Dangane da haka, Corrente ya zaɓi ya tura shi Ingila da wuri-wuri tare da Kyaftin David Bruce Crichton a cikin *Lady Carolina.* .

## Bauta
Kyaftin David Bruce Crichton, duk da haka, ya ci amanar Ansah kuma ya sayar da shi cikin bautar a Bridgetown, Barbados. John Corrente da mutanen Fante sun fadi daga hulɗa da Ansah kuma sun ɗauka ya mutu. A cikin sanannen William Dodd "The African Prince, Now in England, to Zara at his Father's Court," Ansah ya yi iƙirarin cewa "The shouted prince is now a unknown slave".  Ansah ya ce "a cikin kuka, ba barci ba,  wuce da dare mai gajiyarwa, kuma ya tashi zuwa aiki da hasken safiya. "[he]

Duk da haka, a matsayin ɗan John Corrente, mutanen Fante sun san Ansah sosai, kuma wani ɗan kasuwa na Fante ne ya gano shi yana kasuwanci a Barbados. Da zarar dan kasuwa ya ba da labarin bautar Ansah ga Corrente, Corrente ya nace cewa Birtaniya ta 'yantar da Ansah kuma ta kai shi sauran hanyar zuwa Ingila.

Kasuwancin Ingilishi, a lokacin bautar Ansah, yana shan wahala a Annamaboe yayin da Corrente ya zargi al'ummar da mutuwar ɗansa. Ba abin mamaki ba ne a lokacin, Ingilishi sun yi saurin tsalle a kan damar da za su koma ga kyawawan halaye na Corrente. Sun 'yantar da Ansah daga bautar kuma suka kai shi Ingila inda aka karbe shi a matsayin "Prince of Annamaboe" 

## Lokaci a Ingila
An karbi Ansah a Ingila a 1748 a matsayin Yarima William Ansah Sessarakoo ko The Royal African .  A karkashin kariya na George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, Shugaban Hukumar Ciniki, Ansah "ya sami kulawa mai kyau a Burtaniya... saboda dalilai na siyasa da tattalin arziki. "  A zahiri, akwai rahotanni da yawa game da "bayyanar da yake yi akai-akai a cikin al'ummar London. "  Mafi mahimmanci, ya halarci nuna *Oroonoko,* wasan da ke nuna bautar da bautar da ta dace bautar yarima na Afirka da matarsa ta Turawa. Yarima na Afirka, Oronooko, da matarsa, Imoinda, an sayar da su cikin bautar kuma an kai su West Indies inda aka tilasta musu yin aiki na dogon lokaci tare da bayi masu ƙasƙanci. Lokacin da Imoinda ta yi juna biyu, Oroonoko ta shirya tawaye na bawa. Tawayen ya ƙare ba tare da kyau ba, duk da haka, kuma an tilasta wa Oroonoko ya kashe Imoinda kuma an kashe shi a bainar jama'a. Idan aka ba shi satar, Ansah mai yiwuwa yana da alaƙa da Oroonoko a matakin asali. A cikin William Dodd's "The African Prince, Now in England, to Zara at his Father's Court," Ansah ya yi iƙirarin: "Ba zan iya tunawa da lamarin ba, 'yana da zafi sosai' lokacin da yake magana game da *Oroonoko*.

KiKo ta yaya, Ansah ya yi nasarar samun girmamawa ga kansa da mutanensa a matsayin mutane masu wayewa; mutane da yawa sun burge shi da halaye da alheri.

Ziyarar Ansah zuwa Ingila ba ta kasance ta dindindin ba, don haka ya koma gida ga mahaifinsa da mutanen Fante a cikin 1750. Ya dawo "da tufafi masu kyau a cikin sabon salon da ya dace da tashinsa" tare da ilimin Ingilishi da kyakkyawar fahimtar al'adun Ingilishi. Bugu da ƙari, a cikin "Zara, a Kotun Annamaboe, ga Yarima na Afirka, Lokacin da yake Ingila," waƙar Dodd, masoyin Ansah yana magana akai-akai game da London a matsayin "ƙasar farin ciki ta Burtaniya" kuma ta haka ne ya nuna cewa mutanen Fante kuma musamman Ansah sun kalli Ingila da kyau, musamman bayan Ansah ta zauna a can.

## Rayuwa ta baya a Annamaboe

Lokacin da Ansah ya bar Ingila, ya kuma bar rayuwar almara ta yarima na Turai. A Annamaboe, masu daraja tabbas suna da dama da yawa, amma abin da aka samu a Turai ba ya nan. Bayan shekara guda kawai a Afirka, ya fara aiki a matsayin marubuci a Cape Coast Castle, wurin zama na ikon Burtaniya a Gold Coast kimanin kilomita goma kudu maso yammacin Annamaboe.

Yin amfani da matsayinsa a Cape Coast Castle da haɗin kai mai ƙarfi a London, Ansah ya yi aiki tare da mahaifinsa, John Corrente, don buga Birtaniya da Faransanci a Annamaboe. Ta hanyar yin alkawarin biyayya ga babu ɗayan iko biyu, Annamaboe ya tilasta wa Burtaniya da Faransa su ba da tayin kasuwanci na gasa da kuma girmamawa na yau da kullun don kasancewa cikin matsayi mai kyau. Bugu da ƙari, Ansah an san shi da karɓar kyaututtuka masu yawa na whiskey daga Burtaniya waɗanda aka yi niyya ga yawancin mutanen Fante.

A shekara ta 1761, duk da haka, Ansah ya yi fushi cewa William Mutter, gwamnan Cape Coast Castle, ya biya shi da whiskey. Lokacin da ya fuskanci Mutter, gardamar ta zama rikici na zahiri, kuma an dakatar da Ansah daga Cape Coast Castle. Mutter ya ci gaba da da'awar Ansah "ba mutum ne na Sakamakon a cikin [Annamaboe]. "  Lalle ne, yayin da Ansah ɗan John Corrente ne, shi ba magajin Corrente ba ne.

Ba a sake samun tagomashi tare da Burtaniya ba, Ansah ya shafe sauran rayuwarsa a Annamaboe. Akwai rubuce-rubuce game da shi yana aiki a matsayin mai sayar da bayi a wannan lokacin, amma ba a san ayyukansa ba. Ya rayu kwanakin karshe kuma ya mutu a cikin rashin sani, aƙalla daga hangen nesa na Turai wato. Saboda haka, ba a san ranar mutuwarsa ba. Duk da haka ana iya kimanta shi bisa ga ranar da aka kore shi daga Cape Coast Castle kuma daga baya ya rubuta bayanan kasuwanci cewa ya mutu c.1770.

## Tasiri a kan ra'ayoyin Turai game da 'yan Afirka
Ansah yana aiki ne a matsayin muhimmiyar mai gabatarwa ga babban yunkuri na abolitionist na karni na 18 a Burtaniya. Lokacinsa a Ingila a matsayin "The Royal African" ya sanya fifiko cewa wasu 'yan Afirka sun fi bautar kuma sun dace da manyan mutanen Burtaniya. Bugu da ƙari, ziyararsa ta tilasta wa al'ummar London su amince da gwamnati mai rikitarwa da al'umma da ke Annamaboe da kuma wasu biranen Afirka da yawa.

A cikin tarihin Ansah, marubucin ya rubuta "ma'ana mai kyau shine abokin dukkan Complexions" [1] kuma ta haka ne ya ba da shawarar daidaito tsakanin waɗanda ke cikin kabilu daban-daban. Ta hanyar kafa wannan, kasancewar Ansah a Ingila ya saba wa ka'idar bautar da ke da tushe. Maimakon haka, hujjoji na bautar sun dogara ne akan laifuffukan da bayi suka aikata wanda ya haifar da bautarsu. Ansah da kansa, a matsayin mutum da ke saka hannun jari a cikin cinikin bayi, bai kalubalanci halin cinikin bayi ba, amma kasancewarsa a London ya rushe ra'ayin da za a iya bautar 'yan Afirka ba tare da wani dalili ba. A zahiri, an ce yana da "wani raini mai kama da Oroonoko ga ƙungiyar bayi na yau da kullun".[2] Bugu da ƙari, ƙaunarta, a cikin waka ta Dodd, tana nufin yawan bayi a matsayin "ba'a barb'rous joke".[3] A bayyane yake, bai kasance abokin tarayya ga waɗanda suka riga sun zama bayi ba.

Duk da yake Ansah, a matsayin mai cinikin bayi da kansa, bai yi kamfen game da cinikin bayi ba, kasancewarsa a Ingila ya rushe ra'ayin cewa 'yan Afirka sun fi na Turai ƙanƙanta. Bugu da ƙari, yayin da gudummawar Ansah ga wannan canjin tunani ya kasance mai mahimmanci, yana ɗaya daga cikin "Sarakunan Afirka da yawa... masu ilimi a Ingila" waɗanda duk suka ba da gudummawa.

## Bayanan da aka ambata

## Mahaɗa
* Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery
*Between Worlds at the National Portrait Gallery
* ''The Royal African: or, Memoirs of the Young Prince of Annamaboe''
* Hakim Adi, *West Africans in Britain: 1900–1960*
* Wylie Sypher, *The African Prince in London*, *Jour. Hist. Ideas*, 2, 2 (1941), 237–47.