The Rhyme of the Sacred Tree

By Dr Christine Botchway

This is a unique and captivating story about the abduction of a royal prince of Africa who finds himself enslaved by men whose lust for wealth have caused them to deny his humanity and indeed his royalty, and pack him like cargo, and haul him thousands of miles across the Atlantic. This poetically-woven masterpiece brings to the forefront not only the story of slavery but also the little-known reality of the enslaving of the Irish and Scottish on the sugar plantations of Barbados. What makes this story unique is the unexpected twist and explosion into the secret of how freedom cannot be taken from one who is truly free.

This is a story that will make you look differently at every person you meet and re-examine your own belief system. Once you read this poem . . . something inside you will change forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490840130

Dr Christine Botchway

Dr. Christine Botchway is the seasoned writer of nine African novels published by Heinemann and Macmillan. She has also published books on dental education and prevention. She was born in Canada but grew up in West Africa. Her mother is from St. John Barbados and her father is from Ghana. She is a dentist, is married, and lives in Edmonton, Alberta. She is a born-again Christian passionate about sharing her faith, especially with youth focusing on self esteem. Her greatest achievement is being a mother to a beautiful daughter.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 Dr Christine Botchway.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-4012-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-4014-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-4013-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014911744

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/23/2014

Contents

Dedications

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Part One: The Kingdom of Ashanti

Part Two: The March To Cape Coast

Part Three: The middle passage journey

Part Four: A Slave’s Survival

Part Five: Slave Song Of The Irish Maid

Part Six: The Seed

Part Seven: The Tree

Part Eight: The Healing

Part Nine: Wild McTavish

Part Ten: The Sugar god

Part Eleven: The Vision In the Parish Church.

Part Twelve: The Quaker and The Prince

Part Thirteen: Moretta

Epilogue

Dedications

I would like to dedicate this book to the celebration of Four generations of strong dignified and inspiring women in my blood line and lineage:

My great grandmother Amanda Fitzgerald Adamson whose Bible was her road map as she raised ten children with her preacher husband in her little chattel house in St John Barbados

My grandmother Moretta Adamson Bushell whose humour, confidence, feisty fearless spirit and unquenchable joy of life inspired me from the day I met her when I was nine years old visiting St John.

My mother Lucille Matilda Adamson Botchway whose courage, faith and loyalty took her on a journey from a shy young girl in St John to the Western Coasts of Africa where she raised my siblings and I giving us me the opportunity to know my history and discover and appreciate that of many others

To My darling Vienna Fitzgerald Williams my daughter who is a wonderful blessing to us. I pray that not only will she hold sacred our diverse,rich culture and history but will teach it and the laws of God to her children and her children’s children as we have taught her so that they may also be as a tree planted by the water whose roots go deep into the soil….whose leaves shall not wither and whatever they do shall prosper. Amen.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks and much gratitude to Canon Mayers of the John Parish Church for assisting me with my efforts to honor my grandmother Moretta who lies in the other graveyard in St John Parish.

The time you have given to us and wisdom you have shared with us is so greatly appreciated.

To The Barbados Museum where history comes alive and where the Ashanti gold weights I saw cast my thoughts across the middle passage of the Atlantic cross which they had safely made it from Ashanti Ghana in the land I was raised.

To Mr. Tony Thomas whose love of the history of this island, his wealth of knowledge, abundance of books and maps of old Barbados has been a blessing.