Zolu Duma

Zolu Duma, also known as King Peter, was a Bassa-Dei ruler of the land situated on Bushrod Island. Bushrod Island is in Montserrado County (formerly Cape Mesurado), Liberia. Today, King Peter's Town where his Palace was stationed is in the area of Logan Town on Bushrod Island. Zolu Duma was raised by the Wuling, of the Bassa people, who had gained importance as merchants trading with the Europeans, including slaves.^[1][2] He ruled the Gola and Vai areas in the early 19th century.

In 1822 Zolu Duma met with representatives of the American Colonization Society, including United States naval officer Robert F. Stockton, who wished to purchase land on which to settle African-American emigrants from the United States.^[3] Accounts of the meeting stated that Zolu Duma initially agreed to the sale, but tried to back out once he learned that the settlement would endanger the slave trade. Stockton then forced Zolu Duma to cede the land at gunpoint:

Drawing another pistol and levelling at the head of King Peter, and directing him to sit silent until he heard what was to be said, [Stockton] proceeded to say, in the most solemn manner…he had determined that King Peter himself should be the first victim, and that unless he agreed to execute the treaty on the following day his fate was fixed.^[4][3]

Zolu Duma died in 1827.^[5] He was succeeded as ruler by his son, Jalla Fingue, who was also known as Prince Peter.^[6]

In literature

Zolu Duma appeared as a character in Kwame Kwei-Armah's "King Peter" and Dipika Guha's "Elizabeth," two short plays that premiered at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, in November 2017 as part of the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium.^[7][8] He was portrayed by actor Esau Pritchett.^[7]

References

1. "King Zolu Duma". Liberia History And Culture. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
2. Holsoe, Svend E. (1971). "A Study of Relations between Settlers and Indigenous Peoples in Western Liberia, 1821-1847". African Historical Studies. 4 (2): 334. doi:10.2307/216421. JSTOR 216421. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
3. Hollander, Craig (November 6, 2017). "Navigating Slavery: Robert F. Stockton and the Limits of Antislavery Thought". The Princeton & Slavery Project. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
4. Bayard, Samuel J. (1856). A Sketch of the Life of Commodore Robert F. Stockton... New York: Derby & Jackson. pp. 46.
5. Dunn, Elwood D.; Beyan, Amos J.; Burrowes, Carl Patrick (2000). Historical Dictionary of Liberia. Scarecrow Press. p. 116. ISBN 9781461659310.
6. Dunn; Beyan; Burrowes; Historical Dictionary of Liberia, pp. 174.
7. Saxon, Jamie (November 20, 2017). "Princeton and Slavery Symposium explores U.S. history 'writ small,' reveals 'powerful and fruitful' research". Princeton University. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
8. Saxon, Jamie (November 9, 2017). "Listen, read, create: Exploring the Princeton and Slavery Project through the arts". Princeton University. Retrieved December 20, 2017.