Baquaqua: Biography of Afro-Brazil

• In Event: Brazil and Africa: South-South Cultural Comparisons

Abstract

The Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua (1856) is indeed An Interesting Narrative as its original title suggests. Like other narratives of enslaved people from the nineteenth century, its main purpose was to move (white) readers to advocate for the abolition of slavery. Composed of multiple voices, Biography was written by one Samuel Moore based on his oral interviews with Baquaqua. This was a common technique in what came to be known as the slave narrative. However, what makes Biography stand out from similar texts is that, although published in the United States, its subject was captured in Africa and sold into slavery in Brazil. Baquaqua’s narration relates his bondage in Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, and Rio Grande do Norte before escaping to freedom in New York City. Moreover, the text reflects not only abolitionist interests but also anthropological ones. The first part of Biography is narrated by Moore and details the “Manners and Customs” of Baquaqua’s native Djogou. It is thus not only a biography of Baquaqua but also of Africa’s presence in and impact on Brazil. This talk will explore some of the ways in which Biography constructs a rich—albeit unreliable—documentary picture of the people and cultures who were forcibly brought to Brazil decades after it was made officially illegal in 1831. Relatively obscure during its own time, Baquaqua is more relevant now than ever for the way that it helps us understand the impact of slavery globally and the profound connections between Africa and Brazil.

Author

• Jacob C Brown, Northwestern University