Origins of Afro-Brazilian Communities
There are various communities of Afro-Brazilian descendants in West Africa, most of them spread through Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, and Togo. One study estimates that in the 19th century between 3,000 and 8,000 former slaves decided to return to Africa.
Up to now it is not very clear, if the Tabom really bought their freedom and decided to immediately come back or if they were at that time free workers in Brazil, but were deported after the Malê Revolt of 1835 in Bahia. A lot of Afro-Brazilians were deported back to Africa, especially Muslims who organised the Malê Revolt.
Throughout these countries we can find estates, schools and museums with the name “Brazil”. In Lagos there is an estate called “Brazilian Quarter” and a club with the name “Brazilian Social Club”; in Benin we can find a school called “Ecole Bresil”. In those countries it is very common to find family names like Souza, Silva, Olympio or Cardoso. Some of them were very well known in their countries. For example, Sylvanus Olympio was elected the first President of Togo in 1960, before being assassinated three years later.
The first The Viceroy of Ouidah in Benin (chief and controller of trade and relations with foreigners) was a White Brazilian Francisco Felix de Sousa, who became very rich due to his involvement in the slave traffic. He had 53 wives, 80 children and about 12,000 slaves. When he died, he left an empire of an estimated 120 Millions Dollars to his successors. The royal line of the Chachas/Viceroy still exists nowadays in Togo.
The first Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, Raymundo de Souza Dantas, arrived in 1961. In his book Africa dificil, he recalled that he had received a letter from a Togolese called Benedito de Souza, said to be his cousin.
Read more about this topic: Tabom People
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