The book
Deep in a Bright Village of
Bengal
This is the story of the Cape soil, but it first starts with a girl. A small girl, with big curls of dark hair, a sharp nose, caramel skin and brown eyes with the longest eyelashes. Her name was Anna and her home was a bright village in Bengal. She loved dancing around the big bonfire in the village, where a boy would play a drum and the elders would laugh.
What she loved most about the village,
was the smell of cinnamon that was always in the air. The village she loved was in a thick rainforest filled with striped tigers, that roared at night. Her mother had grown up in that village, so had her brothers and she would have too, if the strange men had not come. They took Anna, her mom and brothers out of their home and sold them to a captain of a big ship.
It was cold that morning when the ship arrived in the bay of the Cape. It was early in the morning and Anna was still sleeping but as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she stared up at the biggest mountain she had ever seen.
Its flat top was like a table and a cloud covered it like a tablecloth.
Published By :
Discover The World
Anna’s Legacy Lives on Today
A Hat
In 1678, Anna married Olof Bergh, a wealthy swede who was a V.O.C official,
and expedition leader under Simon van der Stel’s government.
A Purse
Anna is the matriarch of many South African families and a portrait of her
wearing the finest clothing, is the only painting of a free-slave woman painted in the 17th century of the Cape. Oloff and Anna are the patriarch and matriarch of the Bergh family in South Africa.
A Key
Anna arrived in the Cape with her mother Ansela (or Angela) around 1660-1661. She was just five years old when she arrived. Taken as a slave from her home in Bengal, she would go on to become one of the wealthiest and most influential women in the Cape colony.
Take the Journey
From the Bay of Bengal, to the shores of the early Cape. From the Company vegetable Garden to a house on the Heeren. From the barren Robben Island to the humidity of Ceylon. From Ceylon to Groot Constantia. The footprints of Anna’s life can be traced throughout Cape Town, in some of our most favourite places.
Author's Bio
Lauren Jacobs
Lauren is a multi-award-winning author, radio presenter, and public figure whose work has left an indelible mark on the worlds of journalism, writing, and theology. With five published books and ten global awards to her name, she has established herself as a formidable voice and a passionate advocate for women's history.
. . .
In 2018, Lauren captivated the audience at TEDxCapeTown with her compelling talk on the importance of telling women's history and encouraging more writers to uncover and share the forgotten stories of women. Lauren's commitment to celebrating women's contributions is further showcased through her curated 12-piece exhibition, currently on display at the Cape Town Museum, which highlights the women who have shaped the city of Cape Town. As the chair of the Friends of the Cape Town Museum and an esteemed historical researcher and speaker, Lauren continues to inspire and educate through her tireless efforts to bring women's stories to the forefront.
About Anna
Anna arrived in the Cape with her mother Ansela (or Angela) around 1660-1661. She was just five years old when she arrived. Anna and Ansela worked briefly for Jan van Riebeek, before being sold to Abraham Gabbema. Abraham handed Ansela her freedom papers the night before he returned home to Europe, as freed slaves Anna and her family were no longer bound to the life they had come to know. Instead Ansela was baptized as a Christian and treated as a respected member of Dutch society.
She married a wealthy farmer, and Anna grew up in a large home on the Heerengracht. Anna was deeply connected to the soil and made an impact on the Cape colony, not only through her marriage and wealth but also through the magnificent portrait of her. This portrait is the only one of its kind of a freed slave woman in the early Cape Colony.
Why this Book?
Teaching our children about the past, deepens their knowledge of the world.It also awakens curiosity, interest, knowledge and identity within them. My vision in bringing Anna’s story to life, is to teach young girls (and boys) about the women who shaped history in our own country.
Many books have been written about historical women, but hardly any have been written about women in the history of South Africa. This book changes that, and it is my hope that children and schools will enjoy this book, engage with history and be inspired by one of our very own matriarchs.
Order The Book