Ahmeimidi Ould El Khaliva

Centuries ago, Ahmeimidi Ould El Khaliva's ancestors were captured, taken to what is now the west African nation of Mauritania, and then enslaved. Each succeeding generation was born into a life of slavery - a custom that still thrives. In Mauritania today, a ruling class of Arabo-Berber tribes, known as bidanes ("whites") holds black African slaves ("abid" or "haratines") as inheritable property.

In September 2001, Khaliva came to the American Anti-Slavery Group offices and spoke about his harrowing journey from slavery to freedom, from the Sahara desert to Louisville, Kentucky. Moctar Ould Abderrahamne, North American Representative of the Mauritanian human rights group SOS Slaves, translated.

This is hard for many to believe, but you were actually born into slavery, correct?

Yes.

So, there was no traumatic moment that marked the beginning of your life as a slave?

No. It was always the case. Until I escaped, I was always a slave.

When, then, did you first realize you were a slave?

I was about five years old. I noticed that people called me by my mother's name, and not my father's. In Mauritania, slave marriages are not recognized as legal. My parents were not legally married. I was a bastard in the eyes of the law.

So I would ask:"Why do they call me by my mother's name?" Around the same time, I tried to play with some bidane children who were about my age. I was hit and scolded: "You are a slave. You can't play with these children." Things started to sink in after that.

How so?

At about the same time, I started working for my master, helping to herd the animals.

That was your primary duty as a slave?

Yes. That was my whole life. In the winter, I'd follow the rain. Wherever it was raining, I'd take the animals. When I was older, I'd tend to the animals all summer, on my master's farm. I would wake up at dawn and tend to the animals. That was my whole life.

How did the master treat you?

Haratines like myself are seen as less than human, as animals. My master treated me as such.

Were you ever beaten?

Many, many times. If I didn't wake up on time, I was beaten. If I didn't take care of the animals properly, I was beaten. I was probably beaten once a week, once every two weeks. For serious offences, I was arrested and put in jail.

In jail?

Slavery is illegal in Mauritania. But masters can still use the courts to punish their slaves. If a cow dies or wanders off while I'm tending to it, my master can take me to court. He can accuse me of selling it. Of course, in Mauritanian culture, no one would ever believe a haratine's word over a bidane's. And the judge - there is no jury - is always a bidane, sometimes a slave owner himself.

How many times did you go to jail?

Three times. The first time was for disrespecting the master's daughter. A few years later, I was thrown in jail - on two different occasions - for 'stealing' animals from my master. Of course, I didn't steal anything. The master just wanted to punish me.

Was jail any worse than being a slave?

I had a tiny cell. No toilet. Again, I was treated like an animal. The first day in jail, you are 'broken' - beaten very hard. I didn't have to tend to the animals in jail, but I was beaten almost every day. Each time, I was in jail for a few months. The last time I was in jail, I began to think about escaping from Mauritania.

...and from slavery.

Yes. Escaping wasn't difficult. Slavery in Mauritania does not involve actual chains. I used to herd the animals by myself all the way to the border [with Senegal]. There, I would talk to Senegalese men. They would say: "Why do you stay with your master? Why don't you come to Senegal?" When I was in jail, I finally began to think about what they had said. For the haratine, you are raised a slave. Slavery is in your head. That is what you must escape.

Did you follow what was happening in Mauritania?

A little. In 1992, I heard that democracy had come to Mauritania. I was anxious to return to my country, to be free, and, most of all, to see my wife and son. I had never seen my son! I left Mauritania before he was born.

So you returned?

Yes, in 1993. But nothing had changed. There were still slaves. I did get to see my son. He was a grown man at this point. But soon my master heard that I was back in the country. He wanted all the money I had earned in the Congo. So I had to leave again.

How did you end up in the US?

Soon after I retuned to Congo, civil war broke out. I left there and then came to Rhode Island. A year later, I got in touch with some other Mauritanians in Kentucky and moved there.

What do you do now?

I work in a restaurant. It is a decent job. I am very happy to have a paycheck! And to have my freedom!

What is next for you?

I want to speak out against slavery in Mauritania. As a slave, I was denied an education. I was condemned to live as an animal. But I don't want others to live this life. I want my wife and my son and all the other Haratine to be free. With the help of S.O.S Esclaves - a Mauritanian human rights group that fights slavery - and the American Anti-Slavery Group, we can show to the world what is happening in Mauritania. We can shame my country into truly ending slavery.

More Information...

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