Quaw's Quest: A Beacon of Resilience
This monument stands tall, not just in stature, but in the story it tells. It's a window into the extraordinary life of Quaw William Jemmott, an enslaved man in Barbados during the early 19th century. Accompanying the monument are captivating information boards, revealing a narrative that will inspire and educate.
Located on the grounds of the University of the West Indies, the monument tells the story of one man but reveals the struggles of many. It spotlights the challenges faced by the enslaved and newly emancipated people of the island, and explores - through Quaw's story - a profound history of resilience and unwavering determination.
Strolling along the path towards the central statue, we are greeted by two information boards. The first provides a historical context, setting the stage for Quaw's remarkable story. It delves into this land's past, offering a glimpse into the world that shaped his life. The second board dives deeper, introducing us to Quaw himself. Here, his personal narrative unfolds, revealing the challenges he faced and the extraordinary spirit he possessed.
In the centre of this sombre space is the wooden mahogany sculpture by Barbadian sculptor Wayne Onkphra Wells.
Strolling beyong the statue, reveals replicas of slave ledgers recording the names of Quaw and the 294 other slaves on these properties. The ledgers record the slave's name, ethnicity, occupation, age, and place of birth.
These ledgers are a stark reminder of the dehumanization inherent in the plantation slave system, which treated people as mere property. The giving of English names and the reuse of names for many enslaved individuals, was part of the systematic stripping of identity and individuality.
In this context, Quaw's journey and accommplishments are all the more remarkable.
Quaw's story begins far from this monument, in his homeland of West Africa. A perilous journey across the Atlantic in a slave ship transported him to Barbados and stripped him of his freedom. Yet, for two decades, he endured the harsh realities of enslavement.
Freedom, when it arrived, marked a powerful rebirth. Undeterred by his past, Quaw embarked on a remarkable pursuit of knowledge, seeking education and a life filled with love, fatherhood, and a deep understanding of faith. This journey wasn't just about personal fulfillment; it was a determined quest for social respect and the dignity he rightfully deserved.
Barbados was the chosen site where England built its first slave plantation system. Colonized in 1627, by the mid 1640s the island was transformed with the mass enslavement importation of enslaved Africans to work the sugar plantations. The notorious slave plantation complex was the financial pride of English investors. It was exported as an economic and social system to other parts of the Caribbean, and the Americas, In 1834 the government of Great Britain ended this 200 year old crime against humanity.
In Barbados 83,824 enslaved persons were legally emancipated.
Of the legally unbound, 295 persons - 171 females and 124 males - were enslaved on properties that now constitute the environment of the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies.
These properties, and their owners, were listed in 1834 as follows:
Wanstead plantation-owned by Richard and Nathaniel Allamby;
Samuel Barrow property;
James Butler's property;
Bermuda plantation (Pleasant View and Ellerslie) - owned by Elizabeth Chapman and Laura Martis Jones;
Stanmore owned by John Chapman;
Cam Cox's property; Blackstone Place (Lazaretto) - owned by Ann Farrel Crick;
Bath Estate (Walmer Lodge) - owned Ann Farrel Crick;
Halletts - owned by Henry Stephen Cummins;
Jonathan Dunn's property;
Apple Grove - owned by Thomas Grogan and family;
George Harding's property;
William Inniss' property;
Rock Dundo plantation - owned by John Hart Leslie;
Mount Ararat - owned by Edward Henry Moore;
Samuel Robinson's property;
The Mount plantation [centre of the campus space]- owned by Thomas Henry and Elizabeth Abigail Waith;
Fauxbourg - owned by George Walrond.
At Apple Grove lived Quaw, a 37 year old African man from 'Guinea' whose personal quest for freedom, education, enfranchisement, family life, and social respect, typified the collective aspiration of the 294 enslaved persons within this parochial community.
QUAW QUEST, then, was the light of hope and expectation rising from the West and shining through the darkness of slavery that had engulfed these lands now transformed by the beacon that is the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies.
Quaw emerged a champion of humanity's will to freedom, and a Barbadian/Caribbean/ African icon of achievement in deepest adversity.
Quaw was sold into slavery in Barbados as "an infant". He was 'reared' into slavery as a 'field labourer' by his 'owner', Thomas Grogan of Apple Grove, an eight acre property east of what is now the Black Rock Main Road.
Quaw was a mere three years old on arrival at Carlisle Bay aboard a slave ship without his parents and family.
Quaw was but one of a million African children sold into slavery through the "middle passage".
Quaw was one of the 295 enslaved persons who lived in what is now constituted as the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus space.
Quaw was born In "Guinea" in 1797. He is described in the Barbados emancipation records of 1834 as a "37 year old African man".
Quaw's freedom unleashed his quest for professional advancement, family life, and community engagement.
Quaw became an active member of the newly established St. Stephens church. Members described him as a man of "uniform good conduct".
Quaw was appointed to the'office of sexton' during the ceremony of consecration of the chapel in December, 1836.
Quaw is the first black person to hold this 'office' in the Anglican Church.
Quaw's professional elevation was reported in the "The Barbadian", the widely read newspaper, as follows:
[it is more probable that, if the Chapel had not been erected, the man would not even had been brought into the Christian fold. He now, however, a Christian, and, though in humble circumstances, very much respected by all the congregation at the Chapel]
Quaw took in addition, the Christian name, "William".
Quaw William is baptized at St. Stephen's on October 7th, 1837.
Quaw William, a month later, on November 10th, returns to St. Stephens altar as a bridegroom in a ceremony of marriage to Mary Ann, like himself a formerly enslaved person.
Quaw William continued his quest for social advancement and dignity.
Quaw William took the surname "Jemmott", thereby becoming Mr. Quaw William Jemmott.
Quaw William Jemmott, and Mrs. Mary Ann Jemmott, gave life to three, possibly four children - William Harrison, Rebecca Ann, Mary Jane, and Mary Jemmott.
Quaw's quest for freedom, family, and social empowerment was symbolic of that pursued by the other 294 enslaved persons who lived in the Cave Hill Campus space.
Quaw's quest serves today as a metaphor that binds the legacies of black enslavement to the liberties of popular democracy.
Quaw died in July 1847 at the age of 50.
Mr. Quaw William Jemmott's quest continues in the consciousness of thousands of students who journey to (t)his space - the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies.
Quaw is alive, here!
