Flying African

folk-hero · United States · North America

The myth of the Flying Africans tells how enslaved Igbo captives, landing at Ebos Landing on St. Simons Island in Georgia in 1803, turned and walked back across the water to fly home to Africa rather than live in bondage. Collected by the Federal Writers' Project in the 1930s, the tale of flight became a lasting symbol of resistance and freedom.

Open in the interactive archive →