I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, is a literary masterpiece by Maryse Conde. Her strong narrative revolves on the life of Salem Massachusetts self-professed witch Tituba, a native of Barbados. Tituba was among the Caribbeans colony to arrive in North America.

Slave life has been one of the subjects that have only been trivial in history books. In Conde's pen however, a more imaginative, intimate and touching story is revealed. She showed the witch episodes of her character Tituba in the light of a crafty criticism on Christian Fundamentalism, sexual repression and the oppression of women. Tituba and her likes were treated as less than human. All throughout the narrative are exploitation, slave revolts, and massacres. "‘How cruel it must be to be separated from your own family. -From your father, your mother, and your people,'" says one character. (p.38).

Slave identity is a very sensitive topic for writing. Yet Maryse Conde was able to write on it (and be praised for it) because now in this contemporary times, the legal and moral justifications on slave-hood had already faded away, now reversed to be called a racist Puritan hypocrisy.

Conde used a post-modern style of irony to deliver her novel in a way that is enchanting and enlightening rather than radically challenging only to be disapproved; for instance, she portrayed Tituba's nature-environment as caring other than cursing - the stereotype for witchery.

She also told the narrative in a first-person protagonist perspective. In the words of Tituba, her epic heroin, Maryse Conde was able to reach her audience in a much more personal way. This way she was also able to show the 1600's pained yet passionate women's visions of the future - ill-fate - taking from the image of the still-inherent shadows of racism and sexism in the contemporary American society.

From Barbados, Tituba followed her beloved to America, John Indian who was sold to Minister Samuel Paris. Her bitter circumstances started when she was raped by a British on-board the slave ship called Christ the King. Then as a slave to Minister Paris, she was charged as a witch and imprisoned for performing healing to her masters' daughters.

Tituba was a witch. She learned the craft from her foster-mother Mama Yaya. As a child, she saw her mother's execution and pledged to use her knowledge for good like healing. Inmate Hester Prynne ("The Scarlet Letter") helped her with her testimony to the Salem judges to prove Tituba's decency, who, because of her dark skin was ill-associated with evil. Tituba was just among the many who were victims of branding. She was set free.

From prisonry, Tituba was sold to a Jewish widower, also discriminated, and who freed her for bringing her ignited love back to life.

Tituba returned to Barbados, to die. She was killed when her lover was betrayed when trying to organize a slave revolt.

These were Tituba's last words: "Now that I've gone over to the invisible world I continue to heal and cure. But primarily I have dedicated myself to hardening men's hearts to fight." With this kind of lines and plot, Maryse Conde was successful in awakening a social consciousness among her readers - sensibility to issues like slavery, racism, exploitation, sexism, discrimination, and labeling.

~Ae Dechavez

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