This melodrama is based on the story of the legendary Jack Mansong, an escaped Jamaican slave, who in 1780 organised a feared gang of escaped slaves and lost two of his fingers in a clash with the authorities. He was eventually captured thanks to the promise of financial reward and freedom. ‘Obi’ refers to the obeah ritual, in which Jack was an expert. In the play, emancipation from slavery is problematic because conditional on the murder of Jack by his peers. The role of Karfa (the Slave) will be later played by Ira Aldridge.