The Aguda of the Bight of Benin is a community composed of what Professor Yai designates “three supporting pillars” [1]: the descendants of the Portuguese traders who settled in the region in the 1700s; the descendants of the Brazilian traders who came soon after; and the descendants of the retornados, i.e., former slaves who settled in this area upon their return from Brazil. Concerning the latter—by far the largest of the three pillars—there were two types of retornados: those who returned after regaining their freedom while in Brazil; and those who were deported after the Muslim riots of 1835 in Bahia.
The retornados—researchers put their numbers at anywhere from 3,000 to 8,000—were originally from a vast sub-region of western Africa, but upon their return, they settled mainly on the coast between Lagos, Nigeria and Anehó, Togo. In this process, they were helped by already established members of the community, including some who were involved in the trade of slaves to Brazil (e.g., Francisco Felix de Souza).
A few more curiosities about the Aguda in Benin:
- Despite its original ethnic heterogeneity, the community soon gained a strong cohesiveness. Many reasons have been set forth for this: the traumatic experiences that retornados shared while in Brazil; the extensive use of a common language, Portuguese; the quasi-endogamous nature of the community. Whatever the reasons, this cohesiveness exists. So much so that some researchers consider the Aguda to be one more local ethnic group.
- Perhaps a consequence of the cohesiveness and endogamy mentioned above, the main identity marker for members of the community is still a Portuguese surname (e.g., Souza, Silva, Almeida).
- From modest numbers, the Aguda grew to become one of the most important communities in Benin. It is estimated that, today, they represent somewhere from 5 to 9% of its population (for comparison, the two largest ethnic groups, the Fon and the Adja, represent around 38% and 15% respectively.)
- Over time, the Aguda became an economic and social elite in Benin. This was due in part to the fact that most of them had trades or skills; that most of them eventually became literate; and that they were savvy insofar as the use of their social and professional networks.
Given all the above, it should be no surprise that this community has left deep marks across all aspects of Benin’s culture. For example, many Portuguese words brought to region by the Aguda—such as gafu (fork), akama (bed), chavi (key), dotóò (doctor), and kaléta (mask)—have since been incorporated into local languages. And certain “Brazilian” plates—like féchuada (beans), kousidou (boiled meats), and cocada (coco-based candy)—are still widely served today in Benin, on celebratory events.
Afro-Brazilian Architecture
Urban architecture is probably where the impact of the Aguda is most evident. And when talking about what is known as Afro-Brazilian Architecture, no building is more iconic than Porto Novo’s Grande Mosquée. Regrettably, it is also one of the most “misunderstood:” contrary to popular belief, it was never a church; it was not built by the Portuguese; nor does it date back to the 17th or the 18th century.
Construction of the Grande Mosquée began around 1910, i.e., shortly after the completion of the Shitta Bey Mosque, and the beginning of construction of the old Central Mosque—two Afro-Brazilian mosques in nearby Lagos, Nigeria. The master builder João Baptista da Costa is normally credited with the design and construction of these two mosques across the border (partially in the case of the Central Mosque, as he appears to have died during its construction). For his designs, da Costa clearly drew inspiration from the Baroque churches of Bahia. All this is relevant because shortly before construction begun in Porto Novo, a high-level delegation of the town’s Muslims went to Lagos to study the two Afro-Brazilian mosques there. Why? Citing Professor Sinou, because the Porto-Noviens wanted “to build on this occasion a mosque more prestigious than those of Lagos” [2].
After various work stoppages, the Grande Mosquée was finally completed in 1935. There are doubts about who was its chef de chantier, most likely a certain Pereira from the da Costa’s original shop in Lagos. This strengthens the theory that, prior to his death, da Costa may have had a hand on this mosque’s design. True or not, Porto Novo’s Grande Mosquée—with its sumptuous size, its splendid façade, and its beautifully framed doors and windows—is indeed the most imposing of all the Afro-Brazilian mosques ever built in the Bight of Benin!
The Aguda’s touch on architecture was also reflected in churches and, most importantly, in private houses. On the latter, the “new” style was based on the manor houses and villas of Brazil’s “sugar economy:” they had one or two floors, with layouts based on regular shapes and large verandas; these verandas, often on both sides of the house, were hidden behind façades of arcades, with bays framed with richly decorated, Greco-Roman-like lintels, and usually fitted with wooden shutter.
The Maison Godonou Dossou in Porto Novo and the Villa Ajavon in Ouidah—today one of the museums of the Fondation Zinsou—are two beautiful examples of Afro-Brazilian houses. The former was built in the 1930s for a wealthy Goun merchant named David Akplogan Godonou Dossou (Akplogan reflecting his voodoo functions as the cult minister in the old kingdom of Hogbonu). The latter was built in 1922 for Ayivi Ajavon, a wealthy merchant of palm oil and textiles originally from Togo. It is interesting to note that, by the early 1900s, the Afro-Brazilian style had been adopted generally by the wealthy Beninese for their private houses, as living in such a place had become a popular symbol of status. This was certainly the case with these two gentlemen: Neither Mr. Dossou nor Mr. Ajavon were members of the Aguda community, but they lived in Afro-Brazilian houses.
Popular Culture
The impact of the Aguda was also felt across a wide range of more ludic activities and popular manifestations. The celebration of the feast of Bonfim is a good example: On the second Sunday of Epiphany (just as today, in Brazil), the Aguda community of Porto Novo (and to a lesser degree that of Ouidah) comes to the street and replicates Bahia’s feast to Nosso Senhor do Bonfim. Citing Professor Guran, “the celebration of Bonfim is completed by the performance of bourian, a popular show that is simply an African version of the burrinha, an old festival that was very popular in late-nineteenth-century Bahia” [3].
The Kaléta groups provide us with yet another good example of a popular manifestation brought to Benin by the Aguda. Every year, as Christmas and New Year approaches, groups of children and adolescents (nowadays not only Aguda) go around town, knocking on doors from house to house, to perform in exchange for a minor reward (normally a few coins or bonbons). These small troupes are composed of a few masked members (usually one or two) who dance to the sound of African tam-tams and other improvised percussion instruments played by the remaining (and unmasked) members of the group. The Kaléta of Benin are a good example of a Portuguese popular tradition—the Caretos—which crossed the Atlantic first to Brazil, to cross it again now to Africa, brought there by the Aguda.
Notes:
[1] Yai, Olabiyi. “The Identity, Contributions, and Ideology of the Aguda (Afro-Brazilians) of the Gulf of Benin: A Reinterpretation.” In Rethinking the African Diaspora: The Making of a Black Atlantic World in the Bight of Benin and Brazil, edited by K. Mann and E. Bay, 72-82. London: Frank Cass, 2001, p. 75.
[2] Sinou, Alain. “L’Architecture Afro-Brésilienne de la Côte du Golfe du Bénin, Un Genre Imparfait, entre Ignorance et Oubli.” In Patrimoines Oubliés de l’Afrique, edited by C. Gaultier. Paris: Riveneuve Editions, 2011. Retrieved from https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00700729, p. 35.
[3] Guran, Milton. “Agudás from Benin: ‘Brazilian’ Identity as a Bridge to Citizenship.” In Cultures of the Lusophone Black Atlantic, edited by N. Naro, R. Roca, and D. Treece, 147-158. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, p. 148.
Further Readings:
- Araujo, Ana Lucia. “Enjeux Politiques de la Mémoire de l’Esclavage dans l’Atlantique Sud: La Reconstruction de la Biographie de Francisco Félix De Souza,” Lusotopie, no. XVI (2) (2009), 107-131.
- Brooke, James. “In Nigeria, Touches of Brazilian Style,” New York Times, March 26, 1987. Retrieved July 26, 2017 from https://www.nytimes.com.
- Da Silva, Guillaume. “Vestiges Brésiliens dans la Vie Quotidienne et la Langue au Benin.” In Cultures Africaines, Documents de la Réunion d'Experts sur les Apports Culturels des Noirs de la Diaspora à l'Afrique, 260-278. UNESCO, 1985. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/resources/online-materials/publications/unesdoc-database/, (Document code: CLT.85/WS/19).
- Guran, Milton. “Le Reflux de la Traite Négrière: Les Agudas du Bénin,” Gradhiva, no. 8 (2008), 87-95.
- K. Mann and E. Bay (editors). Rethinking the African Diaspora: The Making of a Black Atlantic World in the Bight of Benin and Brazil. London: Frank Cass, 2001.
- Law, Robin, and Kristin Mann. “West Africa in the Atlantic Community: The Case of the Slave Coast,” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 56, no. 2 (1999), 307-334.
- Ligner, Sarah. “La Villa Ajavon.” In Fondation Zinsou, March 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2017 from http://fondationzinsou.org/la-villa-ajavon.
- Marty, Paul. Études sur l'Islam au Dahomey. Paris: Éditions Ernest Leroux, 1926.
- Soumonni, Elisée. “The Afro-Brazilian Communities of Ouidah and Lagos in the 19th Century: A Comparative Analysis.” In Africa and the Americas: Interconnections during the Slave Trade, edited by J. Curto and R. Soulodre-La France, 231-242. Trenton: Africa World Press, 2005.
- Viallard, Monique. “La Communauté Afro-Brésilienne du Golfe du Bénin: Un Cas Unique de Diaspora Africaine dans l’Aire Culturelle Lusophone,” Latitudes, no. 23 (2005), 41-47.
Antonia Dosik
Jorge, Such an interesting article. I sent it to a friend of mine, Judith Bettleheim. She is a retired professor art history and her field is Afro-Carribean art. She also found it interesting. The photos are outstanding.
Jorge Serpa
Toni, glad you enjoyed it. And thx for your nice words. Cheers.