Breffu
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Breffu
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| Other name(s) | Baeffu, Beafuu, Beffru |
| Nickname(s) | Queen of St John |
| Born | Akwamu, Ghana |
| Died | May , 1734 St Jan, Danish West Indies |
| Allegiance | Akwamu Insurrection |
Breffu was an Akwamu leader of the 1733 slave insurrection on St. John, Danish West Indies. She committed suicide with 23 other rebels to evade capture as the rebellion weakened in 1734.
St Jan Slave Insurrection
Breffu was enslaved at a plantation owned by Pieter Krøyer, and lived in Coral Bay.[1] On 23 November 1733, hearing the signal of a canon fired from Fort Fredericksvaern, Breffu entered the main house and killed both Krøyer and his wife. Taking all gunpowder and ammunition in the house and, accompanied by fellow slave Christian, Breffu then proceeded to the van Stell family house, where she killed three members of the plantation owner's family.[2]
She committed suicide to evade capture,[3] and is thought to have died in either April or May of 1734.[1] Her body was discovered at Browns Bay, along with another 23 rebels who committed suicide, at which a plantation owner recorded his surprise that, "one of the leaders of the rebellion, Baeffu, whom none of us knew, and whom we assumed to be a man having murdered my son Pieter Krøyer and his wife, is a woman!"[4]
In popular culture
Breffu has been dramatised as the "Queen of St John" in the play Three Queens Chautauqua Series: Act I Queen Breffu.[5] In a 2006 production, Breffu was portrayed by the academic Jaweh David.[5] She has also featured as a subject in festival floats at St John celebrations.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Norton (2013), p. 300.
- ↑ Norton (2013), p. 69.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Norton (2013), p. 90.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Works cited
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
