With tears in my eyes, I've finally reached the end of La Esclava Blanca. Thanks to Gerlinde, it was a perfect way to spend 62 hours, my first telenovela.
The story involves a group of Black slaves in a Columbian village and hacienda, spanning twenty-plus years in the 1800s as they seek freedom from the harsh landowners, and find sympathizers and helpers in their struggle among some of the more enlightened and compassionate people of Santa Marta.
It may not be for everybody, but it was just what the doctor ordered for me--a journey into a different world while happily grounded in my own. The characters are colorful and the landscape beautiful, but the punishments of the slaves are hard to watch.
As a literary critic, I might note that there were some logical holes in the plot and that the acting at times wasn't entirely believable, but those factors mattered less than the beauty of good people seeking freedom. When there were horrible scenes of landowners doing inhumane things to the slaves, I did have to look away and tell myself, "This is just a play, these are just actors, nobody is getting hurt."
But how can a story be told without the reality of the injustice and cruelty of slavery, prejudice, and control of one people by another?
The protagonists, Victoria and Miguel; Mother Lorenzo and Tomas; the slaves and landowners; the honorable and the despicable--all the major characters of the story became the people I'll remember.
The story is timeless--as there is still slavery in so many parts of the world including child and sex slavery right here in America. This series is, in my opinion, well worth the 62 hours it takes to see it through to the end.
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