In 1893, 3 enslaved African(s) were “liberated” in a state-run scheme usually resulting in involuntary indentures, conscription, or re-enslavement. Under the jurisdiction of 17, Case ID LA-E-2482 occurred via the Bezirksamt, Kilwa
| RegID | LA-E-2482 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Freibrief* |
| Year | 1893 |
| Government Department | Verwaltungsstellen in Deutsch-Ostafrika, Deutsches Reich |
| Court | Bezirksamt, Kilwa |
| Trial Outcome | Purchased |
| Enslaved Total | 3 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 3 |
| Registered Total | 0 |
| Notes | In German East Africa, the certification of emancipation (freibrief) developed quite late and had its origin in the Brussels Act of 1890. The German colonial government made use of this device when it was faced with the problem of how to regulate the relationship European, mainly German, employers on the one hand and African slaves and their owners on the other. Compares to rachat et engagement. As European ownership of slaves was ruled out, some form of semi-contractual relationship had to be found to take its place. The solution was to allow European employers to redeem slaves for an agreed sum of money. The crucial administrative regulations are contained in a decree that Governor von Soden enacted in September 1891. In order to satisfy the ever-increasing European demand for African labour, plantation owners were granted the right to conclude redemption agreements with slaves and their owners. These contracts had to state the sum of money which the redeemer agreed to pay to the slave's owner and the length of time for which a slave had to work for the new employer in order to pay off the ransom. The money was then deducted monthly from a previously agreed wage. The contract sometimes also specified the type of work the slave was expected to do. According to these agreements, slaves had to work for about two or three years to repay the sum of money they owed. A number of slaves, however, incurred further debts. In such cases, relief from slavery had turned into a new form of bondage. However, there is some evidence to show that not many slaves were heavily indebted to their European redeemers. |
| Sources | "Table 3: Freikauf von Sklaven (Freibrief) (Select Districts and Main Reasons only)", in Jan-Georg Deutsch, Emancipation without Abolition in German East Africa, c. 1884-1914 (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2006), 184-185. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | |
| Ship Status | Unknown |
| Date of departure from a place or port in Africa generally following the purchase of enslaved people. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | |
| Region of departure from Africa. Required entry. For more information about the geographical hierarchy used in this digital resource, please refer to AfricanRegions.org. | East Central Africa |
| Place or port of departure from Africa, if known. A controlled vocabulary for place names are associated with geographic coordinates using Google Maps Global Mercator EPSG:900913. See https://epsg.io/transform#s_srs=4326&t_srs=900913&x=NaN&y=NaN | Kilwa |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | |
| Location | |
| Navy | |
| Ship | |
| Captain | |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | |
| Region of arrival around the world. Required field. For more information about the geographical hierarchy used in this digital resource, please refer to AfricanRegions.org. Other regions outside of Africa include, Western Europe, East Coast of North America, etc. | East Central Africa |
| Place or port of arrival around the world. Required field. A controlled vocabulary for place names are associated with geographic coordinates using Google Maps Global Mercator EPSG:900913. See https://epsg.io/transform#s_srs=4326&t_srs=900913&x=NaN&y=NaN | Kilwa |