"Angolas, Cabos Verdes, Santo Thomê e Costa da Mina”

Africans, black brotherhoods and religiosities in Recife, 18th Century

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the presence of Africans on black brotherhoods and their religious experiences in Recife in the 18^th Century. As starting point, we use the brotherhood`s commitments, where African nations are specified, to demonstrate how men and women from Africa, used the Christian devotion as an important place of insertion and negotiation in colonial society. From the brotherhoods, we chose two: Nossa Senhora do Rosário and Senhor Bom Jesus dos Martírios because they were spaces for the insertion of the two main African nations in Recife: black angolas and minas. The aim is to demonstrate how these brotherhoods worked in the formation of identities and in the production of contrasts among Africans. Therefore, in the commitments we find solidarities and conflicts, because the African community was not homogeneous, and relationships could be friendly or not. We also intend to demonstrate how cultural practices from Africa – such as funeral rites and festivities – have been mixed with the Catholic cultural universe, in addition to pointing out manifestations of African cults such as the black mistress`s roça. Our aim is to show how the religious experiences in the colony were important spaces of action for the African and Creole population.