Robinja

Slave: My True Story is an autobiographical book by Mende Nazer, co-written with British journalist Damien Lewis. It is a poignant account of modern slavery in the 21st century.

Mende grew up in an idyllic village of the Nuba tribe in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. She lived in a harmonious, traditional community, surrounded by family love, nature and ancient customs. Everything changed one night in 1993 (or 1994) when Arab militias (mujahideen) attacked the village: they killed the adults, raped the women and kidnapped the children, including twelve-year-old Mende. After a horrific march and rape, the girl ended up in a slave market in Khartoum.

She was sold to a wealthy Arab family as a yebit (black slave). They took away her name, her freedom and her dignity. She slept locked in a garden shed, ate leftovers like a dog, worked from dawn to dusk without pay or a day off. She suffered constant physical, psychological and sexual abuse from her mistress and family members. She was completely isolated, without contact with the outside world, not knowing if her family was alive. For seven years she lived as an “abid” – property.

After seven years of slavery, she was “given away” to a relative in London – the wife of a Sudanese diplomat. Even in a free Britain, she continued her life as a slave: imprisoned, abused, without rights. But in London, she managed to get in touch with other Sudanese from the Nuba community. With their help, she made a dramatic escape in September 2000.

The book is not only a story of suffering, but also of incredible strength, dignity and the fight for freedom. Mende describes the beauty and solidarity of her culture, which the Arab regime is systematically destroying through slavery and war. Her escape was followed by a fight for asylum, media attention and her determination to speak out about the fate of thousands of other victims.

Slave: My True Story is a powerful, honest and easy-to-read memoir that shocks because it shows that slavery is not just a historical phenomenon – but a brutal reality even today. The book awakens empathy, anger and admiration for Mende's indestructible will to live and be free.