Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The Muslim Uprising of 1835 in Bahia

An important book and a rare one in that it explains the history of a slave revolt in Brazil in which Islam played a prominent role. The author goes into detail concerning the conditions that slaves (and freedmen) lived in Brazil, how then interacted with one another and how they maintained their culture in extream circumstances. It is interesing in that the actual revolt itself is given considerably less space in the book but the supression of the revolt and the effects that it had on Africans in Brazil is discussed in detail. An interesing read especially in that it sheads some light on African culture in the Americas and how Africans maintained their culture there and also the efforts that white slave owners and the white population in general made in supressing that culture.

Joao Jose Reis is one of the foremost chroniclers of 19th century Bahian society, and this book is his (English-language) masterpiece. Starting with reports of quilombos, or autonomous African-inhabited communities in the deep countryside, and various riots and uprisings in urban Bahia, Reis details a history of resistance that led up to the 1835 rebellion. He is particularly successful at isolating the ethnic and religious motivations that drew together Muslim and non-Muslim Nagos (synonymous with the Yoruba) and allied ethnicities and inspired them to fight. He is also meticulous about recreating the political atmosphere of Bahia in the period--rife with rebellions, protests and runaways, the city was constantly under threat of revolution, and the "Male" revolt changed the course of slavery in Brazil by bringing Portuguese fears of African insurgency to the forefront. I disagree with the previous reviewer (who erroneously insists on referring to the book as a 'novel'); Reis gleans very specific information on insurgents like Licutan, a revered leader of the group, and Sanim (aka Luis), the trilingual rebel who was born in Nupe and also spoke Yoruba and Hausa, but not Portuguese, despite his long sojourn in Brazil. His adherence to these sources keep him from the kind of baseless speculation that a lesser historian would indulge in. He is also familiar enough with the historiography of the Yorubas in Nigeria and the republic of Benin to propose ideas on the effects of their culture and religion on the roots of the revolt. The book provides a blueprint for historians, anthropologists and other social scientists interested in the dynamics of revolt and resistance to slavery all over the Americas. It is unfortunate that there is not more information on the Africans deported to the Bight of Benin as a result of the rebellion--arguably a successful end to their miniature war in Brazil. This book is definitely worth the purchase.