Out of the swamp: Uncovering a hidden US slave ship
In 2018 Ben Raines went in search of vessel that had secretly transported enslaved West African people to the US. But what came to the surface was more than a shipwreck.
A phone call out of the blue set journalist Ben Raines on a hunt for the Clotilda, an American vessel that had illegally transported enslaved West African people to the US. On arrival it was burnt and hidden deep in the Alabama swamp. The story of the ship and its passengers was kept alive by generations of people descended from those who had been enslaved. But these inherited histories were shrouded in secrecy, fear, and silence - seldom spoken of outside that community. So, when Ben dived into the swamp to find the Clotilda, it was more than a shipwreck that bubbled to the surface. Outlook's Emily Webb speaks to Ben Raines and descendant Garry Lumbers about their intertwining stories.
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Olivia Lynch-Kelly
(Photo: Ben Raines standing in the water holding a piece of the Clotilda. Credit: Joe Turner/Ben Raines)
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