An old slave market in a 16th century town square in Cape Verde.
The slave house on Goree island, near Dakar, Senegal.
Haunting reminders of the slave trade that took place from West Africa.
The story of an innocent pastor imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
A worldwide church prays, and, via social media a movement starts for his freedom.
For many centuries African kingdoms ruled this part of Africa of course.
And then in the 16th century European interests became more intense.
They were after gold.
Gold was that precious metal that could be used for glamorous things and for trading.
The intensity grew greater and greater.
However, at the point when the New World was discovered, and the need for human power came
into existence, the terrible scourge of slavery was used in an unbelievable way.
Of course slavery had existed for centuries before, but then the incredible volume,
over six million people, exported from this particular area,
towards the New World.
What a terrible scourge and blot on human history.
What's the connection?
What's the difference between commercial trade, gold, slavery and freedom.
I mean, how do these things connect?
You'll find out.
Goree Island is a small land mass just off the coast of Dakar,
Senegal's sprawling capital city.
The island is home to a small population, but by day the number of people swells as
tourists from around the world come to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are no cars on the island and it is small enough to find your way around on your own.
The House of slaves, built by the Dutch in 1776, is one of Africa's most famous museums and
memorials to the slave trade.
Historians differ on how many slaves were actually held in this building,
but visitors from around the world make it an important place to remember the human toll of
African slavery.
The House of Slaves is there to memorialize the final exit point of the slaves from Africa.
Closest to the sea, at the far end of the building, is the Door of No Return - where Africans
left their continent never to return.
In July 2009, Pastor Antonio Monteiro left his home country of Cape Verde and,
together with his family, travelled to the country of Togo to work there as a departmental
director for the church.
His task was to work with pastors in eleven countries of that region.
The young man that had come to my office for help, he had accused me of homicide.
It wasn't organ trafficking.
He accused me of asking for blood so that I could make sacrifices or occult ceremonies
in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
It was a time of lots of anger and discontent.
But after meeting with some family members, I started feeling more calm after praying
to God.
So when I went to prison I saw a crowd of 2000 people in a space designed for 500.
We are packaged like sardines.
On the first night I slept in a room with 82 other people.
But someone very thoughtfully saved me a space.
He said, "You're like a father to me, you can sleep here soundly".
My dear.
I wish that God will bless you tremendously in that place.
If you have work to do, do it quick, and come back home.
Back to your family, because we miss you very much.
I love you very, very much.
Amen.
But of course, I couldn't sleep.
I didn't know where I was.
I didn't know who I was with.
And I asked myself "how is it possible that a person like me is in a situation such as this
one.
How much longer?"
But every day I would wait until 9pm, waiting for someone to call me,
"Monteiro, you're going home".
>From Mauritania in the northwest to the Republic of Congo to the south and Chad in the northeast,
the West-Central Africa region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is comprised of 22
countries.
Off the western coast of the continent, the territory also includes the ten islands of Cape
Verde.
Dakar is the largest city of Senegal and is located on the Cape Verde Peninsula,
Africa's westernmost point.
It is considered one of West Africa's most important and vibrant cities.
Muslims account for 94 percent of the population, Christians—5 percent and people with
indigenous beliefs—1%.
On a beach facing the Atlantic Ocean, lies one of Senegal's largest fish markets.
Thousands of people flock here every day to buy fish.
Brightly painted pirogues, or canoes, line the beach.
The waters off the West African coast represent one of the world's richest fishing grounds
and fish are one of Senegal's leading exports.
Lake Retba or Lac Rose, meaning "Pink Lake" is naturally strawberry pink in color.
Due to its high salt content, the water has the perfect living conditions for a certain kind of
micro-algae called dunaliella salina.
The algae produces a red pigment to assist in the absorbtion of light.
During the dry season and when the sun is brightest the color is especially vivid.
The lake has a high concentration of salt, up to 40% in some areas,
and salt harvesters can be observed, gathering the salt in the old traditional way.
Men cover their bodies with Shea butter to protect their skin from the salty lake.
The salt, which is largely used for preserving fish, is then piled on the shore to dry and
whiten in the sun for a few days.
Along with Pastor Antonio Monteiro, another Adventist pastor,
Bruno Amah, was also implicated.
These two courageous men had no idea what a long drawn out imprisonment and court case lay
ahead of them.
It has been a long time since we visit my husband in prison as a family.
I hope the kids will be okay.
He is doing well.
He said he went to church.
He organized Bible studies today.
And Bruno did the sermon.
They are both doing well.
I was very happy to see that he's kept his spirits up,
in spite of all of this.
It was a good time.
I miss him tremendously.
While in prison I considered myself a missionary.
I didn't consider myself a prisoner, because I didn't commit a crime.
Not against the country, and not against the people of Togo.
I took this mission and preached the gospel to high profile people,
such as the ministry of defense of Togo, prisoners and prison guards.
Every day I prepared a meal and take it to him.
The prison has food, but it is different from what we eat.
Bruno's wife takes food in the morning and I take food for them in the late afternoon.
Every day while preparing his food, I think "My God, why is this happening,
my God?"
But afterwards, I say "Let your will be done".
At one point, my second eldest daughter, Andreia, was very ill and had to be hospitalized.
Under normal circumstances, with a husband in the home, we would have coped.
Very often we would sit in the livingroom of our home in Lome.
We would reminisce about old times.
Sometimes we even laughed and felt momentary joy, but then we would realize that below the
photo of my husband, was an empty chair.
Liberia is home to four million people.
Liberia was established by citizens of the United States as a colony for former African
American slaves and their free descendants.
In 1822 African Americans first crossed the ocean, back to Africa.
Over the next 40 years 19,000 African Americans, other Africans and a small number of
West Indians, would settle in Liberia.
English is Liberia's official language but fifteen indigenous languages are also spoken in the
country.
Here the Seventh-day Adventist Church runs a very successful radio ministry.
Pastor Smith, actually, had a whole congretation of his own and he started listening to
Radio Advent, ok, particularly to the Berean hour and he came in touch with the Sabbath truth.
Because of his commitment to the voice of the Lord, he decided to become converted and not only
was he converted or, actually, convinced of the truth, but he thought that it was necessary to
share it with his congregation and when he did that some members of the congregation
actually slipped off but he remained and several of them have been coming back to the
truth.
I have never experienced the peace that I am experiencing now because I know that I am in the
true worship and I know that I have a covenant of worship with God.
The Sabbath worship make me to know that I have a covenant of worship with God.
I feel like a true child of God.
Radio Advent has led many people to Christ.
We were able to meet a few of them.
He used Pastor (Gemini Gettel) to just read a scripture because I believe we don't need much
words to get converted, we need just one.
It was that one that take me to the Adventist faith.
I need to ask God to direct me because He is my director.
In everything if we ask it will be given to you, he says, seek and ye shall find,
knock and the door shall be opened.
So I'm seeking to Him for direction.
I'm hoping that the radio station is even going to revive the entire nation,
Liberia.
That is the hope that I have and by the grace of God we are working towards that.
For several months, the Adventist Church chose to keep legal appeals and diplomatic
efforts out of the public media.
Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders and national ambassadors employed diplomatic efforts in
Togo, throughout Europe and at the United Nations in New York.
Local lawyers attempted numerous legal appeals.
Yet Pastors Monteiro and brother, Amah remained in prison.
The Adventist Church then decided to go public with the matter.
Police in Togo have found no evidence of Monteiro's involvement,
and church leaders are maintaining his innocence.
They recently visited Monteiro in prison and are working with government officials to secure
his release.
On November 20, 2012, a working group for the case was formed at
the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
First in the news, millions of Adventists gathered for a day of
prayer last week on behalf of two church members imprisoned in the West African country of
Togo.
The month of March marks one year since Adventist pastor Antonio
Monteiro was imprisoned in Togo on unsupported charges.
Christmas cards.
Adventist human rights activists are encouraging church members worldwide to send Christmas
cards to three Adventists imprisoned on false charges.
The public awareness event "Pray4Togo" took social networks by storm last week generating
thousands of shares and retweets.
Facebook followers integrated with the Pray4Togo campaign more than 50,000 times,
while the event hashtag reached more than seven million Twitter users.
A petition with more than 16,000 signatures is on its way to Togo.
Send them some encouragement in the form of Christmas cards and let them know.
You are not alone.
You are not alone.
You are not alone.
As the date commemorating two years in prison was approaching, good news arrived.
A court trial had finally been set for Friday, January 10, 2014.
As I sit in the dark prison, I often reminisce about my home in Cape
Verde.
I miss the smell of the ocean, as the waves crash on a stony beach.
For almost two years, I haven't seen a sunset, and it is when darkness falls,
that I yearn for my family the most.
I also miss my church family, breaking the bread of Life with them,
spending time in earnest prayer and singing heartily together.
I miss my home town on the island of Fogo.
I miss the house where I was born with all its memories.
I often think of the church where I was baptised.
I miss my 95 year old mother so much.
I miss the mountains, standing tall and majestic.
When the dry acacia seeds hang from the tree, I know that the rainy season is approaching.
How much longer, dear God, how much longer.....
Ghana is famous for being the first country in Africa to gain independence from European
colonization.
It is therefore a symbol of achievement and an inspiration for African independence
movements.
This is the weekend retreat of the Danish governor back in about the early and mid
nineteenth century.
It also served as a plantation for agricultural purposes with slaves.
This is a very comfortable home.
Come and take a look.
Since the 16th century European governments involved themselves with the local African kingdoms
in commercial activity and the terrible slave trade.
Particularly this shows installations and plantations of the Danish government here along
the Gold Coast, now known as Ghana.
Here we also met a very interesting chief who told us about his ancestors as well as
how he appreciates church co-founder, Ellen G White's writings.
So when the law came into force in 1803, they were already in serious agriculture,
with the assistance of our enslaved ancestors.
It was our enslaved ancestors who helped them put up this building.
They finished their activities here in 1850 and they left.
When they left, they left our enslaved ancestors here.
That is why we are here, in short, at the moment.
So we are the bona fide owners of this area.
Ellen G.
White, it was a friend of mine who gave me some of her pamphlets.
I read it and I enjoyed it very much.
So I asked the fellow to give me a picture of her so that I always look at her and remember
her.
Ellen G.
White is a plain person, he writes what was revealed to him exactly.
That is why I like her very much.
I have appreciated a lot of things in her writings because she did not hide anything.
When it is green, she said it is green.
When it is white, she said it is right.
For me, God is the Almighty.
He created everybody.
He has the life of every human on earth, He does what He wants to do in everybody's life.
Valley View University is located in Oyibi, in the Accra region.
We are more focused in developing integrity among our students,
and excellence, as well as service to God and service to humanity.
So these are the three main qualities that form the core values of Valley View
University.
And we develop the students in this direction.
and most of the time this is our mission, it is a church institution and we inculcate the
integration of faith and learning in the development of the students.
And most of them, they really appreciate and they become Seventh-day Adventists Adventist
education has helped me spiritually, morally, socially and intellectually.
I'm complete, I have a well balanced life.
I came here half empty and I'm leaving very full and I am grateful to the Adventist
education.
The city of Praia, with a name that means 'beach' in both Portuguese and Cape Verdean
Creole, is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic
Ocean, west of Senegal.
Positioned on the great trade routes between Africa, Europe and the New World,
the islands became a prosperous center for the slave trade.
In more recent history, on these islands, many people were praying for the release of
Pastors Antonio Monteiro, and brother Amah.
First in the news, the Adventist pastor Antonio Monteiro was released from prison this week
ending almost two years of detainment in the West African country of Togo.
It was a moment....
I can't find words to describe the moment.
I was imagining there would be thirty or so people.
But when I saw there was a multitude, I thought "they are not here to see me.
It's probably for some politicians".
And then I realized that these people were actually here to welcome me.
There were not only church members, but also those who had been following the story for the
past few months.
It was very emotional seeing the crowds of people around our family,
supporting us.
It was a beautiful ending.
Because it was the climax of our efforts - that of intercessory prayer.
We sang his favorite hymn "Under His Wings".
We could see God's hands working.
It was a very emotional moment, for the Adventist church in Cape Verde,
and in the entire world.
It was one of the most emotional moments of my life, because we'd been through a terrible time
when he was in prison.
But I must say that in that day, I could see in Monteiro the face of God.
A God that is able to make the impossible, possible.
Pastor Antonio Monteiro tasted freedom at last.
What a reunion it was!
And what a reunion we can look forward to when Jesus returns!
Not far from Praia, where Pastor Monteiro arrived after being set free,
lies Cidade Velha, the old town.
Here in the 16th century town square, the whipping post made out of marble can be found,
a haunting reminder of the cruelty of the slave trade.
Transcontinental slavery made Cidade Velha the second richest city in the Portuguese realm.
Today, in this old town square, one hears the sounds of hawkers selling their wares to tourists.
Contrast this to the sounds of traders bidding for slaves, not that long ago.
The African Renaissance Monument is a colossal, and controversial,
monument commemorating the end of slavery and Africa's emergence from the past
oppressive European regimes that once ruled the continent.
A 49 meter or 161 foot tall bronze statue is located on top of one of the twin hills outside
Dakar, Senegal.
Taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York City, the statue was designed by
Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby after an idea presented by president Abdoulaye Wade.
Built by a North Korean company, the monument depicts a family emerging from the mountaintop:
the figure of a man, a young woman, and held in the man's left hand,
a child resolutely pointing west.
Visitors can go inside and take an elevator to the level of the giant man's head for a stunning
view across the city of Dakar.
President Wade once said, "It brings to life our common destiny.
Africa has arrived in the 21st century standing tall and more ready than ever to take its
destiny into its own hands".
It is this sentiment that is felt all over Africa these days.
Where there once was slavery, there is freedom.
Where there once was bondage, now there is independence.
Where once oppression was the order of the day, there is now liberation,
deliverance.
God made men and women to be free, from both physical and spiritual bondage.
In Galatians 5:1 we read, "Stand fast there, for the liberty of Christ has made us free and be
not entangled again with the yolk of bondage."
Slavery, unfortunately, is still alive and well in other forms in our world today,
not least of all, Spiritual slavery.
Many struggle under Satan's Yoke, but we have the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
who died to set us free!
We look forward to the promise of heaven one day soon, where all those who cling to Jesus
now, no matter the circumstances, will experience true freedom throughout
eternity.
SADLY, AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRODUCTION, PASTOR AMAH IS STILL IN PRISON.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR HIS RELEASE!
.
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