Nic Watts and Sakina Karimjee’s graphic adaptation of C.L.R. James’s 1934 play, Toussaint Louverture: The Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History, is a worthy companion to Black Jacobins, the celebrated history of the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) James would eventually publish in 1938. The original London production of the play starred Paul Robeson as Louverture, the former slave and charismatic general who would lead the enslaved people of Haiti to freedom and national independence against the powerful armies of Europe. While the work carries Louverture’s name, it is not a biography. Rather, it's a stirring illustrated work of history, highlighted by lively caricatures depicting the large cast of period figures and an engrossing narration of the bloody uprising, all told against the backdrop of the French Revolution and the treacherous geopolitical conflicts between 18th-century slaveholding nations. In this 12-page excerpt, a gathering of escaped slaves hidden deep in the forest—among them such leaders as Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Louverture—inspired by the French Revolution and driven by the brutality of their enslavers, pledge to fight for liberty. Toussaint Louverture: The Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History will be published in October by Verso Books.
