St Benedict of Palermo (1526-1589) Benedict the Moor was an Italian Franciscan friar in Sicily who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic and Lutheran churches. Born of African slaves, he was freed at birth and became known for his charity. Benedict was beatified by Pope Benedict XIV in 1743 and canonised in 1807 by Pope Pius VII. Benedict is remembered for his patience and understanding when confronted with racial prejudice and taunts. Original sculpture attributed to José Montes de Oca. Angelo Soliman (1721-1796) Angelo Soliman was born in the Sokoto State in modern Nigeria. He was taken captive as a child and arrived in Marseilles as a slave. He was given as a gift in 1734 to the imperial governor of Sicily. After the death of Prince Lobkowitz, Soliman was taken into the Vienna household of the Prince of Liechtenstein, eventually rising to chief servant and royal tutor of the heir to the prince, Aloys I. Original Portrait by Gottfried Haid based on an artwork by Johann Nepomuk Steiner. Ayuba Suleiman Diallo (1701-1773) Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, also known as Job ben Solomon, was a famous Muslim who was a victim of the Atlantic slave trade. He was born in Bundu, in modern-day Senegal, and his memoirs were published as one of the earliest slave narratives – that is, a first-person account of the slave trade. He was enslaved for about two years in Maryland; he was then brought to England, set free, and sent to his native land in 1734. Original painting by William Hoare. Albert Badin (1747 or 1750-1822) Adolf Ludvig Gustav Fredrik Albert Badin, né Couchi, known as Badin, was a Swedish court-servant and diarist, originally a slave, butler of first Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia and then Princess Sophia Albertine of Sweden. His original name was Couchi, but he was commonly known as Badin, which means mischief-maker or trickster. Original Painting by Gustaf Lundberg. Dom Nicolau (c1830-1860) Dom Nicolau, prince of Kongo, is perhaps the earliest African leader who wrote publicly to protest colonial influences. Nicolau protested against Portuguese commercial and political activity and military expansion by publishing a letter in a Portuguese newspaper in Lisbon. His exact birth date remains uncertain. Contemporary engravings of Nicolas during his visit in Lisbon in 1845 suggest that he was then perhaps 15 to 20 years old. Original engraving: Unknown Artist Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) Frederick Douglass was a social reform activist, writer, and statesman. He escaped from slavery, and later became a leader of the abolitionist movement, renowned for his impressive oratory and writing. His experiences as a slave have been narrated in several autobiographies which became bestsellers. He is also remembered for being the first African-American nominated for vice president of the United States. Original portrait by Samuel J. Miller. Don Miguel de Castro, Emissary of Congo Don Miguel de Castro and two servants arrived as part of a delegation sent by the ruler of Sonho, a province of Congo, via Brazil to the Netherlands. One objective of the journey was to find a resolution to an internal conflict in Congo. Original painting attributed to Jaspar Beck or Albert Eckout. A Moroccan man (1913) José Tapiró y Baró was a Catalan painter. One of his closest friends was painter Marià Fortuny, with whom he shared an interest for Orientalism. He was a master of watercolor painting. Original Painting by José Tapiro y Baro. August Sabac El Cher (c1836-1885) August Sabac el Cher was an early Afro-German who was given to Prince Albert of Prussia as a boy in 1843 when the prince was in Egypt. August grew to be embraced as a Prussian and married a white woman. The family history of the Sabac el Cher is also the story of a family of soldiers in three different German armies: under the Kaiser, Hitler and Chancellor Adenauer.Original portrait by: Unknown Artist. Pedro Camejo (1790-1821) Pedro Camejo was a Venezuelan soldier who fought with the rebel army during the Venezuelan war of independence, reaching the rank of lieutenant. He was nicknamed “El Negro Primero” because he was always at the forefront of every battle. He was also the only black officer in the army of Simon Bolívar. Ikhlas Khan Ikhlas Khan was an African-Indian who was a chief minister to the Sultanate of Bijapur during the 17th century. He remained in power until 1683. He then moved to Adoni in the Kurnool district, where he governed and built a notable mosque. Jean-Baptiste Belley (1746-1805) Jean-Baptiste Belley was a native of modern-day Senegal, born on the Island of Gorée. He was a former slave from Saint-Domingue in the French West Indies who bought his freedom with his savings. During the period of the French Revolution, he became a member of the National Convention and the Council of Five Hundred of France. He was also known as Mars. Original painting by Girodet. All photographs by Omar Victor Diop / Courtesy of Magnin-A (Paris)

• published: 13 Jul 2015
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