Slave Ship Mutiny: Watch the Full Episode | Secrets of the Dead

Posted: November 11th, 2010

Slave Ship Mutiny

Watch the Full Episode

When the Meermin set sail from Madagascar for South Africa on a hot summer’s day in 1766, the Dutch crew had no idea they were about to make history. The ship was filled to capacity with human cargo, slaves bound for hard labor building the Dutch East India Company’s colony at Cape Town. But the Meermin with its crew and cargo would never make it to Cape Town. Instead, in a dramatic altercation, the slaves mutinied and managed to overpower the Dutch crew, ordering the ship be sailed back to Madagascar and freedom. But the crew of experience sailors deceived the slaves and turned the boat around each evening to head for Cape Town. And so the circumstances for a dramatic climax – and shipwreck – were laid when the ship and its desperate passengers finally spied land.

Slave Ship Mutiny tracks the efforts of archaeologists, historians and slave descendents to discover the full story of this dramatic historical event. They want to learn what happened on the Meermin, how the slaves were able to overpower their captors, and why the ship ended up wrecked on a wild, windswept beach 200 miles east of Cape Town.

An Off the Fence production for THIRTEEN in association with ARTE and WNET.ORG.

Narrator: LIEV SCHREIBER
Writer/Producer: JOE KENNEDY
Directors: NIC YOUNG, JOE KENNEDY
Executive Producer, Off the Fence: ELLEN WINDEMUTH
Executive Producer, ARTE: HÉLÈNE COLDEFY
Executive in Charge: WILLIAM R. GRANT
Executive Producer: JARED LIPWORTH

Tags: Africa, Cape Town, full episodes, history, Meermin, production, slaves, video

Harold Smith

An outstanding Historical find and recreation of a well documented event…A must see for all the TRUTH seekers!
Alice Adams

I am so glad that programs like this exist to study our collective and, often, ugly past. We learn valuable lessons about the roots of slavery and why it managed to thrive. Also, we learn about real people who’s lives were forever altered. And we learn about the indifferent, labor poor, money chasing, controling societies that benefited from their suffering until slavery ultimately failed. Thanks for sharing these struggle for freedom with us. They have been heard.
Bill Hightower

An excellent production; public schools would do well to make use of it. The documentary helps to fill in some of the blanks as to the “mindset” of enslavers and the enslaved. Too much has been and continues to be taken for granted about slavery, who was involved and how they were involved. Sadly, it is a topic that likely will continue to be avoided, particularly in America where a “clearing of the air” is most needed. American perception of this time period is consistently fueled by over zealous emotionalism on both sides of the story. Thus, the truth lies asmoldering and is only ever broached in ill-advised and toxic sound bites. Nevertheless, I remain thankful for the thoughtful, detailed and remarkably liberating presentation.
Jason

Very good information!!! I found out recently that my ancestors came from Madagascar and brought to the Americas during the Atlantic Slave Trade after tracing my dna through my father’s bloodline … America never tells us that slaves came from Madagascar and Mozambique, but they were. The truth is coming out!
Evangelist S Boatman

How do I purchase Slave Ship Mutiny? When I click on Buy it leads me back to the movie.
How do I reach the person that posted a Family history story about ” Malagasy” they may be related? Thank you for taking time to reply.
Jarius Frenz

I was very intrigued by the documentary, finally got to see that involuntarily captured ppl were able to fight back even the eyes of adversity. This was a nice one.
Cheryl

Every other episode streams online with the exception of this one.
Denise Lay

Wow! I happened to be covering this topic in my fifth grade social studies classes, so it couldn’t have aired at a better date!
I also would love to buy this episode, or stream it if I could. For some reason it show only a blank screen. Perhaps it is too soon? Any comments to help would be much appreciated. I teach in a Title I school, heavily populated with migrant families, hispanic children, and only three African/Americans. In my part of the Texas Panhandle, hispanic and migrant families experience a great deal of prejudice. This would be a great tool to teach empathy and understanding of the plight of the historically disadvantaged.

Inside This Episode