Age: 16

Freeman is from the Volta Region of Ghana. Volta has the biggest man-made lake in Africa, and most people there are farmers and fishermen.

When he was barely 6 years old, Freeman was sold into slavery as a fisher boy in Kpando Torkor to man he had called "uncle," only to discover later that his uncle was really only his slave master from a different tribe. When he was sold, Freeman lost all parental care, love and protection, and he immediately assumed the role of fending for himself.

Freeman used to get up at 4 a.m. to begin work on Volta Lake with other child victims of slavery. In the cold of the morning he went onto the lake in a small old canoe to lay nets. Because of his age and size, Freeman also used to empty the boat that had a lot of holes, in addition to other jobs that kept him working from 4a.m. to 4p.m., 7 days a week. This kind of work was such that if Freeman got tired and rested, water immediately filled the boat.

The lake has a lot of tree stumps that entangle the net in the deep waters; so Freeman used to dive deep into the cold water to untangle the nets that were trapped. This kept him in the waters for hours. If he got tired and complained, he was asked if he had finished. And, if he said no, he was shouted at to get back to work. If he dared to show any signs of weakness and tiredness then he was branded as lazy, shouted at, and sometimes hit on the head with the canoe paddle – a situation that made him develop rheumatism which nearly cost him his life. The boat on which Freeman worked had sunk in the deep lake several times; so he acknowledges that his living today remains a miracle.

In his life as a fisher boy, Freeman saw many of his child colleagues die while fishing, untangling nets in deep waters, drowning, or being sacrificed in rituals to appease the sea gods.

Freeman was rescued 5 years ago, and is currently reintegrated with his mother. They are still living in Torkor. His mother has joined the Milenorvisi Women Fish-Smoking Group, a local women’s cooperative group that smokes and sells fish for a living. Freeman has never seen his father.

Freeman is currently taking a course in Building Technology with the support of GAWU. In 2004 Freeman played a leading role in the film called the ‘SLAVE BOY.’ In this film, for the first time, he had the opportunity to tell his story the way it really happened without fear.