The ignored black protagonists of the history of Brazil

1Vitória, Catarina and Josefa, portrayed in the 'Black Encyclopedia' as protagonists of a 'Vogue' cover, represent African slaves who practiced family farming in the south of Brazil in the 18th century, later colonized by white Europeans.

Elian Almeida Random House

2Rosa was a slave who fled in 1870 from a cattle ranch to Uruguay with her five children, including a breastfeeding one.

Mulambo Random House

3Caetana Nossos Naos was a 17-year-old slave who was forced by her owner to marry another slave, in her twenties.

Dissatisfied, the young woman tried to annul the marriage.

Juliana dos Santos Random House

4Roque José Florencio (1828-1958) was, according to his family, a reproductive slave who had more than 200 descendants, lived 130 years and is the protagonist of many stories transmitted orally.

Nadia Taquary Random House

5Trajan led in the 19th century a community of slaves who had conquered their freedom and adventurers who dreamed of creating an independent republic at the confluence between the current State of Amapá and French Guiana.

Kika Carvalho Random House

6Manuel do Sacramento was a slave who taught himself to read and write and led a revolt in 1877, a decade before the end of slavery.

The police investigations of the time accused him of "explaining to his colleagues that they had the right to freedom and to resist their masters."

Igi Ayedun Random House

7Daniel Antonio de Araujo, known as Daniel de Viana, led a slave revolt after learning of the civil war in the US from a US ship that docked in Viana (Maranhão).

He was sentenced to life in prison in 1868. Dalton Paula Random House

8Benedito Meia Légua (1805-1885) led a quilombo, a community made up of former slaves.

Devoted to Saint Benedict, legends attribute to him his ability to avoid being captured in the raids of the time.

He lived in Espírito Santo.

Amilton Santos Random House

9Inacio Monte was embarked on a slave ship off the coast of Benin.

Baptized in 1742 in Rio de Janeiro, he became an active member of the brotherhood of Santo Elesbao and Santa Ifigenia in that city with his wife.

He died in Rio in 1783. Tiago SantAnna Random House

10Agostinho Jose Pereira is known as the 'Black Luther' because he created the first Protestant Church in Brazil in 1841. Heloisa Hariadne Random House

11Luzia Pinta, known as the masked sorceress, was a slave shipped to Brazil from Angola at age 12.

She was arrested in 1742 in Sabará (Minas Gerais) by the Inquisition.

She confessed under torture in a judicial process that lasted two years and in which she was convicted of witchcraft and apostasy.

Sonia Gomes Random House

12 Queen Marta de los Quilombos de Iguaçu.

Known by that nickname, Marta was a member of one of the escaped slave communities created in the 19th century in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.

The newspaper of this city reported his arrest in 1876. Mariana Rodrigues Random House

13Chico Rei was a member of the royal family of Congo kidnapped with his family and some subjects to be enslaved in the Brazilian gold mines in the 18th century.

Thanks to his expertise in the trade, he managed to buy his freedom, that of others, and once again be recognized as someone of distinction.

Antonio Oba Random House

14Afra Joaquina Vieira Muniz.

Born in Salvador de Bahia, she was a slave whose freedom was given to her by a former lord when he married her.

When he died around 1870, he bequeathed all his assets and two women who were free with the condition of caring for the widow until she died.

The couple denounced Afra Joaquina in court for mistreatment, but lost the lawsuit;

he had to stay with her.

Monica Ventura Random House