Dismal photographs
On August 20, 1619, the English privateer ship White Lion landed in the British colony of Virginia, USA, at the ineptly named Point Comfort. The 20-30 enslaved Angolans would find none. Around 350 Africans were originally kidnapped by Portuguese colonial forces and packed onto the ship San Juan Bautista en route to Vancruz, New Spain. Approaching its destination, the White Lion attacked, accompanied by the Treasurer and snatched some of the human cargo. The arrival of the enslaved marked the beginnings of two and a half bleak centuries of slavery in North America
Less than 30 miles south of Point Comfort is the Dismal Swamp, an area comparable to the size of Mauritius. It’s very far from paradise. As slavery escalated in the region, escaped slaves would often seek refuge in the swamp, preferring the challenges of insects, snakes,
