Queen Quet is spokesman for the Gullah people. She has returned to her roots on the Sea Islands to reinvigorate and protect the Gullah traditions in music, food, language and spirituality. "The world has been very effective at burying African culture of any sort and of eliminating thoughts of slavery", says Quet. Thousands of Gullah descend on the islands every year, journeying back to the old plantations that their ancestors won from their masters in the civil war, 140 years ago. But real estate agents are rearing their ugly heads, and the Gullah way of life is under threat due to a plague of golf courses and gated communities. "There will be no more left of the wonderful black heritage, and we will become just another ho-hum community of golf courses", says a resident. One "Sea Island" is now America's sixth wealthiest town, so pressure is on the residents of Hog Hammock, the last Gullah community left standing. But they are not giving up without a fight: "Our ancestors came and bled and died for this land - its is a birth right that i have and i will never get rid of it."

Produced by ABC Australia