The Untold Tales of Africa Presents: Yasuke

A historical fiction about Japan’s first African Samurai. Yasuke, born in colonial Mozambique, grew up seeing horrific things. His people were tormented daily, and nothing was set in stone. Every day was a constant struggle to stay ahead and out of trouble’s gaze until one fateful day. Alessandro Valignano, an Italian missionary, found Yasuke walking along a trail one day and stopped him. He was impressed by his size and the look in his eyes. Valignano knew that Yasuke (known as Isaque at that time) would be the perfect servant on his journey overseas. Without much of a choice, Yasuke left his home and his family, now in servitude to a man whose morals were not fully aligned. He traveled to different countries, escorting Valignano and protecting him and his assets. After some years, he and Valignano set foot on Japanese soil, prepared to travel the country and spread God’s word to its people. However, Japan was war-torn during the Sengoku era, and its people felt a similar fear to Yasuke’s people. His desire to protect those who could not protect themselves piqued the interest of the well-known and very powerful warlord, Oda Nobunaga. Eventually, he and Nobunaga would cross paths, and that was the true beginning of this story. Yasuke’s honorable nature and indomitable spirit paved the way for many victories under Nobunaga’s tutelage, but losses were sure to come. Lessons must be learned to call oneself truly wise. And to learn lessons, one must make mistakes. Through Yasuke’s successes and failures, he was able to become one of the most influential names in Japanese society. This is the story of Yasuke.