An Evening with Anni Domingo, Hatchards, Piccadilly

“Breaking the Maafa Chain” is a searing chronicle of two sisters' struggle for true freedom in the mid-nineteenth century, when transporting slaves from Africa to America was an illegal but lucrative business.

Nineteenth century—Two sisters, Fatmata and Salimatu, are captured and sold separately into slavery. Forced to change their names to Faith and Sarah, they end up in two different countries with opposite slavery laws. Faith ends up in America, where slavery is still legal and slaves don't have any rights; Sarah ends up in a Victorian England as the god-daughter of Queen Victoria. Can the two sisters reclaim their freedom and identity in a world that is trying to break them down and mould them to its coloniser's will?

As author Anni Domingo will discuss this evening, “Breaking the Maafa Chain” is based on the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta and her extraordinary story of loss, survival, hope, identity and tradition.

Anni will be in conversation with Tina Andrews, the award-winning American writer, director and author of Sally Hemings An American Scandal: The Struggle To Tell The Controversial True Story and Charlotte Sophia: Myth, Madness and the Moor. Andrews has been referred to as a "Historical Griot", and is known for her compelling, controversial period television dramas that position Black women at their centre.

And we are thrilled to announce that novelist and short-story written Yvvette Edwards will be here to introduce the evening, with a performance from Nina Kristofferson, an International Multi-Award Winning Actor, Singer, Writer, Producer, Director and Teacher.

All welcome!

Anni Domingo will be signing copies of “Breaking the Maafa Chain” immediately after the event.