A Speculative Return to Africa: Remembering Slavery in Tracy Baptiste’s the Rise of the Jumbies

Abstract

Tracey Baptiste explores the value and risks of exposing child readers to the harsh realities of the past in The Rise of the Jumbies (2017). In the novel, Baptiste uses African-derived deities and folk figures to examine the horrors of slavery, in particular the Middle Passage. The author turns to speculative tropes like time travel and mermaids to help young readers navigate such historical trauma. By using a double narrative strategy, both hopeful and truth telling, Baptiste explores the emotional challenges posed to young readers learning about historical atrocities. Her work encourages the development of empathy and critical thinking skills, an appreciation for the natural world, and acceptance of difference. The book provides opportunities to deepen readers’ diasporic knowledge and eco-literacy through its representations of African-derived gods and folk figures from Baptiste’s Trinidadian heritage. The essay presents the core argument of Baptiste’s novel, namely that individuals should keep what is valuable from their past that accords respect to all beings and discard ideologies based on domination.