Djena was barely ten years old when she flew alone from her home country of Guinea to Dallas, Texas, in January of 2000. On the plane, a flight attendant gave her cookies and a toy. After she landed, airline staff escorted her out to meet Mohamed Toure (the son of Guinea's first president, Ahmed Sekou Toure) and Denise Cros-Toure, a Guinean couple, who, along with their children, were waiting for her. Mohamed explained that Djena was a family member from Guinea whom they were taking in. Djena believed him. Then the Toures drove her back to their house, in Southlake, a suburb near Dallas. It was a two-story brick mansion with a large front lawn and a back-yard pool; the neighborhood was dotted with oak trees, and the nighttime stillness was broken only by the occasional thud of acorns falling on rooftops.
Djena lived with the Toures for sixteen years. During this time, her belief that they considered her one of their own gradually eroded, like a riverbank worn down by steady currents. There were five other kids in the house: Mohamed and Denise’s three sons and two daughters. They all went to school. Djena did not. She worked from morning to night, cleaning and cooking meals for the family even though she wasn’t allowed to eat alongside them, except on special occasions. Denise and Mohamed bought new clothing for the other children, whereas Djena was given ratty hand-me-downs—even her bras were Denise’s castoffs. Everyone else in the house had their own bed. Djena slept on a mattress on the floor.
There was a similar story, but it was a Brazilean couple and the victim was a woman who they brought from Brazil and kept her as slave. The neighboors managed to help her. The husband was convicted but the wife ran back to Brazil.
I saw the documentary in Prime and here's an article about it https://miscelana.com/2025/08/19/the-woman-in-the-abandoned-house-from-urban-mystery-to-global-exposure/
People were mad when the movie Rome was out, because it reflected what is true in Latin America and many parts of the world: Domestic Work is borderline slavery, sometime it actually is.
This one hit close to home, and I can't stop thinking about Djena since reading the story yesterday. I am also African, and just two years older than her. But while I was away at school, growing up, discovering whole new worlds, there was this girl locked away in servitude. She was not allowed to learn how to read -- despite her curiousity and wanting to -- nor did she get to experience all the stuff we took for granted. She never got to fully experience her childhood, to be a normal teen. And then her entitled and cruel enslavers; they were unrepentant to the end, and probably still think they did nothing wrong.
It's so insane reading about someone your own age like that and suddenly getting hit by how relatively little could've separated you or I from being in her shoes and how "lucky" we truly are just for having had gotten at least the bare minimum of human dignity when she simultaneously had none. I don't know what your own family situation is like, but I've friends who grew up in heinously abusive environments who nonetheless at least had enough opportunities to learn and grow that they could eventually leave; even those tiny scraps this poor girl had stolen from her so early in life. That minor act of kindness on the part of the airline attendant is so sobering; for just that last transitional moment, she was recognised as a child who deserved joy, play, and care.
Thanks for sharing this one. I'll be thinking about it for awhile.
And naturally the couple fled the US and are being lauded as victims who survived oppression, and will never pay back their restitutions. I loathe the wealthy. I hope Djena finds peace and happiness in her life now.
There was another article some years ago about a family from East Asia who had a slave. That one was from the perspective of the child of the enslaving family. I believe they lived in Texas for a while too.
Was it this piece? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Family%27s_Slave About a family from the Philippines. Regardless, the piece I mentioned was amazingly well-written as the author of the piece was both the son in the family and a writer by trade
Good read. The "take a child relative and send them somewhere to be a house servant with the hope of a better life" is common in my parents' culture too. It is a model prone to abuse and characterised by power imbalances.
I was an exchange student in a Mexican city, and virtually every middle class family had a live in teenage girl acting as a maid who was sent from a poor village. If she was paid, the money was sent back home.
My family's servant actually was well off compatively. She came to them an older teen, she had her own bedroom, the family brought her with them when they went out - to the beach, to parties, etc, and she was treated like everyone else there. She ate meals with them and the mom of the house usually did chores with her side by side and chatting.
However, many of the other exchange students lived with families with girls as young as 11 who were treated more like Djena, and some of the students were quite shaken to know they were living with someone being treated so badly, but not being in a position to be able to do anything about it.
Actually have known friends who were Au Pairs, it was that type of arrangement except she was a housekeeper rather than a nanny, as the kids were grown and had their own families.
My housemom even called her hija (daughter) as a term of endearment. It is notable that of all the host families, mine had the darkest skin and the smallest house/least money.
Amongst the other host families, the more money the fsmily had (which typically correlated with being lighter skinned), the younger the servants and the worse they were treated. It was directly correlated. One girl stayed with a family in a huge mansion in a gated community and they had a gatehouse with security guards at their house, and the little girl servant they had slept on the floor of the laundry room.
Djena secretly teaching herself to read reminds me of Frederick Douglass. She sounds like a bright young woman and I hope she gets all the opportunities she deserves. It’s so disheartening how numerous people who knew the family were aware that there was something not quite right about Djena’s situation, but no one did anything until she was able to ask for help.
That poor little girl, something quite similar happened to my grandfather when he was a child and he eventually managed to run away. As he was walking down the road to reach the city a man stopped him and asked why a twelve year old kid was walking this road alone and after hearing his story the man ended up taking him in and letting him stay in his workshop as he was a cobbler. My grandfather became his apprentice from then on!
I can’t imagine going through so much as a child, it is a truly horrible thing how cruel so many are to the little ones in this world. I greatly admired his kindness as he was very old and was still bending down to chase me around and play with me! He lived through so much in his life that it astounds me just how strong some are!
Jeez. I ain't ever going to be rich -- and I've got a ways until I'm even stable -- and I've made my peace with that, but stories like these make me want to ditch my current field and at least earn enough so I can help out some of these kids that never got the chances I got. If that's not a way to live a fulfilling life, I can't imagine what is.
Why did these monsters only get 7 years jail and not have more of their property revoked to pay restitution. They took a child as a slave and abused her for far longer than 7 years. I am so saddened by this. And angered at their small punishment that does not fit the crime
[OP] Key_Gap9168 | 13 hours ago
Djena was barely ten years old when she flew alone from her home country of Guinea to Dallas, Texas, in January of 2000. On the plane, a flight attendant gave her cookies and a toy. After she landed, airline staff escorted her out to meet Mohamed Toure (the son of Guinea's first president, Ahmed Sekou Toure) and Denise Cros-Toure, a Guinean couple, who, along with their children, were waiting for her. Mohamed explained that Djena was a family member from Guinea whom they were taking in. Djena believed him. Then the Toures drove her back to their house, in Southlake, a suburb near Dallas. It was a two-story brick mansion with a large front lawn and a back-yard pool; the neighborhood was dotted with oak trees, and the nighttime stillness was broken only by the occasional thud of acorns falling on rooftops.
Djena lived with the Toures for sixteen years. During this time, her belief that they considered her one of their own gradually eroded, like a riverbank worn down by steady currents. There were five other kids in the house: Mohamed and Denise’s three sons and two daughters. They all went to school. Djena did not. She worked from morning to night, cleaning and cooking meals for the family even though she wasn’t allowed to eat alongside them, except on special occasions. Denise and Mohamed bought new clothing for the other children, whereas Djena was given ratty hand-me-downs—even her bras were Denise’s castoffs. Everyone else in the house had their own bed. Djena slept on a mattress on the floor.
And then there were the beatings...
DeadWishUpon | 2 hours ago
There was a similar story, but it was a Brazilean couple and the victim was a woman who they brought from Brazil and kept her as slave. The neighboors managed to help her. The husband was convicted but the wife ran back to Brazil.
I saw the documentary in Prime and here's an article about it https://miscelana.com/2025/08/19/the-woman-in-the-abandoned-house-from-urban-mystery-to-global-exposure/
People were mad when the movie Rome was out, because it reflected what is true in Latin America and many parts of the world: Domestic Work is borderline slavery, sometime it actually is.
[OP] Key_Gap9168 | 13 hours ago
This one hit close to home, and I can't stop thinking about Djena since reading the story yesterday. I am also African, and just two years older than her. But while I was away at school, growing up, discovering whole new worlds, there was this girl locked away in servitude. She was not allowed to learn how to read -- despite her curiousity and wanting to -- nor did she get to experience all the stuff we took for granted. She never got to fully experience her childhood, to be a normal teen. And then her entitled and cruel enslavers; they were unrepentant to the end, and probably still think they did nothing wrong.
hey_free_rats | 14 minutes ago
It's so insane reading about someone your own age like that and suddenly getting hit by how relatively little could've separated you or I from being in her shoes and how "lucky" we truly are just for having had gotten at least the bare minimum of human dignity when she simultaneously had none. I don't know what your own family situation is like, but I've friends who grew up in heinously abusive environments who nonetheless at least had enough opportunities to learn and grow that they could eventually leave; even those tiny scraps this poor girl had stolen from her so early in life. That minor act of kindness on the part of the airline attendant is so sobering; for just that last transitional moment, she was recognised as a child who deserved joy, play, and care.
Thanks for sharing this one. I'll be thinking about it for awhile.
pheothz | 10 hours ago
And naturally the couple fled the US and are being lauded as victims who survived oppression, and will never pay back their restitutions. I loathe the wealthy. I hope Djena finds peace and happiness in her life now.
ladyluck754 | 7 hours ago
Cause that’s Texas for you
SquidTheRidiculous | 4 hours ago
There was another article some years ago about a family from East Asia who had a slave. That one was from the perspective of the child of the enslaving family. I believe they lived in Texas for a while too.
iamnosam | an hour ago
Was it this piece? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Family%27s_Slave About a family from the Philippines. Regardless, the piece I mentioned was amazingly well-written as the author of the piece was both the son in the family and a writer by trade
SquidTheRidiculous | 49 minutes ago
That's it, thanks. I forgot some details.
PepperSticks | 11 hours ago
Good read. The "take a child relative and send them somewhere to be a house servant with the hope of a better life" is common in my parents' culture too. It is a model prone to abuse and characterised by power imbalances.
BostonBlackCat | 7 hours ago
I was an exchange student in a Mexican city, and virtually every middle class family had a live in teenage girl acting as a maid who was sent from a poor village. If she was paid, the money was sent back home.
My family's servant actually was well off compatively. She came to them an older teen, she had her own bedroom, the family brought her with them when they went out - to the beach, to parties, etc, and she was treated like everyone else there. She ate meals with them and the mom of the house usually did chores with her side by side and chatting.
However, many of the other exchange students lived with families with girls as young as 11 who were treated more like Djena, and some of the students were quite shaken to know they were living with someone being treated so badly, but not being in a position to be able to do anything about it.
PepperSticks | 5 hours ago
Sounds like she was treated more like an Au-Pair? But yes, I cannot imagine what it must be like to see what the others saw as a student, it's grim.
BostonBlackCat | 2 hours ago
Actually have known friends who were Au Pairs, it was that type of arrangement except she was a housekeeper rather than a nanny, as the kids were grown and had their own families.
My housemom even called her hija (daughter) as a term of endearment. It is notable that of all the host families, mine had the darkest skin and the smallest house/least money.
Amongst the other host families, the more money the fsmily had (which typically correlated with being lighter skinned), the younger the servants and the worse they were treated. It was directly correlated. One girl stayed with a family in a huge mansion in a gated community and they had a gatehouse with security guards at their house, and the little girl servant they had slept on the floor of the laundry room.
nopingmywayout | 12 hours ago
Holy shit. There are no words.
That couple should have stayed in jail for longer.
Available-Guava5515 | 10 hours ago
Cookies and a toy. One last gesture of kindness and acknowledgement of her vulnerability. My heart 💔
M0506 | 6 hours ago
Djena secretly teaching herself to read reminds me of Frederick Douglass. She sounds like a bright young woman and I hope she gets all the opportunities she deserves. It’s so disheartening how numerous people who knew the family were aware that there was something not quite right about Djena’s situation, but no one did anything until she was able to ask for help.
0gbe | 5 hours ago
That poor little girl, something quite similar happened to my grandfather when he was a child and he eventually managed to run away. As he was walking down the road to reach the city a man stopped him and asked why a twelve year old kid was walking this road alone and after hearing his story the man ended up taking him in and letting him stay in his workshop as he was a cobbler. My grandfather became his apprentice from then on!
sharipep | 5 hours ago
This is a lovely story 🥹
0gbe | 4 hours ago
I can’t imagine going through so much as a child, it is a truly horrible thing how cruel so many are to the little ones in this world. I greatly admired his kindness as he was very old and was still bending down to chase me around and play with me! He lived through so much in his life that it astounds me just how strong some are!
sharipep | 4 hours ago
The resiliency is certainly inspiring, even though it’s heartbreaking to hear how it was acquired 😔
hey_free_rats | 31 minutes ago
Jeez. I ain't ever going to be rich -- and I've got a ways until I'm even stable -- and I've made my peace with that, but stories like these make me want to ditch my current field and at least earn enough so I can help out some of these kids that never got the chances I got. If that's not a way to live a fulfilling life, I can't imagine what is.
venus_arises | 6 hours ago
I hope that she lives the life that was promised to her all those years ago; with economic opportunities and educational challenges.
VerucaSalt1234 | 28 minutes ago
Why did these monsters only get 7 years jail and not have more of their property revoked to pay restitution. They took a child as a slave and abused her for far longer than 7 years. I am so saddened by this. And angered at their small punishment that does not fit the crime