Ex-international rugby player’s heartbreaking family secret

On a recent journey to west Africa, ex-Wales international rugby star Nathan Brew visits his father’s ancestors’ home, Castle Brew, on the Gold Coast in Ghana, to learn about their role in the slave trade.

The ‘castle’ overlooks a fortress which was used to hold enslaved people in dungeons. This was his ancestors’ business.

Nathan Brew who enjoyed a successful career playing rugby for Wales, Scarlets, Dragons and Bristol, has always known that his ancestor Richard Brew, was a slave trader.

Nathan says before starting his journey: “It’s part of our family story. It’s in the past, a very long time ago, so it’s easy to feel a bit detached from it. I’m his descendant yes, but I didn’t really have any strong feelings about Richard Brew.”

Nathan’s journey is captured in a special programme Nathan Brew: Caethwasiaeth a Fi (Slavery and Me) which will be shown on S4C on 15 October as part of Black History Month.

Journey

Nathan is joined by his sister, Rachel, and their father Collins. The journey takes Nathan to Liverpool and London to better understand the slave trade and how Wales and British colonial rule benefited from it, before all three fly out to Ghana.

Nathan meets Malik Al Nasir, an expert historian who warns him: “This was the dirtiest business that mankind has ever known. You need to prepare yourself emotionally on the journey you’re about to embark upon because you will find some of the most grotesque things that you can possibly imagine.”

By the end of his journey, Nathan explains: “I met with some very informative people and learnt a lot. I expected to learn, but I didn’t realise how barbaric and inhumane it all was, and that economy depended on the slave trade. It’s opened my eyes and made me very emotional.

“Meeting with journalist Laura Trevelyan who is also a descendent to a slave trader was a small comfort. Like me Laura believes that slavery is a stain on our family name.”

Heirs of Slavery

Laura Trevelyan is an advocate who has helped establish Heirs of Slavery, an organisation led by people whose ancestors profited from transatlantic slavery.

Laura also warns Nathan of his impending journey: “I can only imagine that it’s going to be profoundly upsetting, to be in a slave fort, to imagine that your ancestor Richard Brew, profited from imprisoning them in the slave fort and treated people like animals.”

Nathan learns how his ancestor Ricard Brew moved from Ireland in 1745 and married into one of Ghana’s most influential tribal families. His marriage to John Curantee’s daughter – chief of the Fante tribe –led to an abundant supply of kidnapped slaves.

Brew became one of Africa’s most influential and powerful slave merchant. He died in his luxury castle in 1776.

Encouragement

Visiting Anomabu’s fortress brings its barbarity and ruthlesness and Nathan’s ancestors part in it, alive, and with it raw emotions.

Rachel explains how her heart is hurting seeing the dungeons and where children as young as six would be kept away from their families in complete darkness.

Nathan says: “I struggled to put into words how I felt after seeing and hearing of what happened to the slaves at the fortress. When I think of the role my ancestors played in this I could only feel anger and disappointment.”

It is Laura Trevelyan that has a word of encouragement for him as she tells him: “It’s not your responsibility, you didn’t do it, but by exposing that story you’re doing something very important, which is you are helping Britain understand how it got to where it is today and your story is a microcosm of modern Britain, of modern Wales and we have to confront the past in order to move forward.”

Nathan Brew: Caethwasiaeth a Fi (Slavery and Me) will be shown on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer tonight (15 October).