The question of the relationship between Africa and Brazil is all the more topical as President Lula is back at the helm of this behemoth Latin American country, member of the Brics and promoter of a new international order. . While there, I realized how much Africa was still a strong part of its socio-cultural equation. After our interview with the writer Cidinha da Silva, author and reference in the fight for the rights of blacks in the country of Lula and for whom “Africa is everything”, place Chiquinho de Assis who, from his position as elected , will be able to give us a perception that could usefully complement that of Cidinha da Silva.
Le Point Afrique: Can you, as an Afro-descendant, tell us about your city of Ouro Preto (literally “Black Gold”) and its tragic history with Africa?
Chiquinho de Assis: Gold is black and so are our people. Data from the latest census shows that 70% of the indigenous population declare themselves to be of African descent. With great joy, I am part of this ethnic majority group, but which struggles daily to be able to enjoy its rights. Ouro Preto is the little Africa of Minas, I have no doubt about it. Drawn to gold mining, dozens of ethnic Africans who possessed mining knowledge came here, enslaved. They are perpetuated with their descendants. The big question is that most of the population remains on the margins of housing, infrastructure, public health and security policies. She represents a large portion of the city’s poor population.
One cannot evoke Ouro Preto without recalling Chico-Reye, the central figure of the black memory of this city. Who was Chico-Reye?
This is Galanga, the king of a tribe in Gabon who was baptized here as Francis. It is the symbol of the victory of liberation through work. It is a symbol of identity and self-esteem for black people here. Galanga has inspired stories, beliefs, legends. It is a myth of freedom constantly visited by different generations. He is the symbol of those who buy their freedom (manumission) through hard work. He is also the reference of the free slave who succeeded in buying the freedom of so many others and of his people.
Apart from Chico-Reye, what other figure or historical fact marking slavery is there in Ouro Preto?
We have in Ouro Preto the figure of Antonio Francisco Lisboa, or Aleijadinho. The son of an enslaved black woman and a Portuguese architect, he became the greatest exponent of the aesthetic school of construction and sculpture in the 18th century, not only in Ouro Preto, but also in several cities of the cycle of the ‘Gold from Minas Gerais.
Is there today a symbolic link between Ouro Preto and Gabon, the country of origin of Chico-Reye?
Unfortunately no. It must be said that for African consulates, the reference for African representation was often Bahia or the samba of Rio de Janeiro. We must revisit this place which illustrates the importance and strength of Afro Minas Gerais, the strength of Ouro Preto, a city which in the 18th century was the most populated in America, with more inhabitants than New York and where the majority of the population was of African descent.
Has your city council tried to establish a twinning with an African city, Gabonese for example?
In vain, despite some initiatives. We need to act more diplomatically in this regard. We have high hopes of being able, with the current moment in the country, to nurture such ambitions. It should be remembered that Ouro Preto is one of the most touristic Brazilian cities and the most marked by slavery.
Do you ever come across African tourists on your streets and in your churches?
Yes, it happens to me, but less than I would have liked. Today, the university in our city has agreements that allow African students to come and continue their studies here. This will certainly help to make the little Africa that is Ouro Preto better known.
Brazil and Africa seem to ignore each other even though they are neighbors and their economic complementarity is obvious. Brazil, it should be remembered, is the second black country in the world (just after Nigeria). How can you, as a politician, correct this aberrant diplomatic and commercial deficit?
I think we need to strengthen ties, build bridges, share stories, memories, traditions. Culture is a great ally in this regard. We must strengthen the cultural productions of countries of African descent so that these are links that allow exchange and strengthen our sense of origin and belonging. I believe that the creation of an international fund for this purpose would be a great ally to take advantage of this objective of cultural exchange. When asked if I know Africa, I answer that I know Africans but unfortunately not Africa. It’s an old dream that I harbor. I hope it will come true.
If you had to visit one country first, which one would you choose and why?
These would be Angola and Guinea. To Angola, we owe capoeira, and to Guinea, the very first blacks in Brazil.
* 1986, Grand Prix littéraire d’Afrique noire ex aequo for “The Scales of the Sky”; 2008, Renaudot Prize for “The King of Kahel”; 2012, Erckmann-Chatrian Prize and Grand Prix of the Métis novel for “The Black Terrorist”; 2013, Grand Prix Palatine and Prix Ahmadou-Kourouma for “The Black Terrorist”; 2017, Grand Prix de la francophonie for all of his work. Tierno Monénembo’s latest publication was published by Editions du Seuil. Its title: “Saharan Indigo”.
The fabulous story of Chico-Rey
His real name, Galanga, Chico-Rey was a Gabonese king who was deported into slavery with his entire court. The chance of slave transactions led him to the mines of Ouro-Preto where he was forced to extract gold, the many years that his servitude lasted. He had the brilliant idea of ??letting himself grow a large mop of hair in which he concealed part of the powder of the precious metal that he had to deliver to his white master every evening. The immense amount of gold he accumulated by this ruse enabled him to free himself and his court. Becoming the first black owner of a mine, he built one of the most beautiful churches in Ouro Preto, the Santa Ifigenia church (Saint Iphigenia is the only black saint in the Bible) and reconstituted his court in this picturesque city in Brazil. , as it was in Gabon.
Brazil’s first blacks
Arrived in the 17th century in Salvador de Bahia, the first blacks in Brazil came from present-day Guinea. Of Nalou Oubaga ethnicity, they lived in the regions of Boké and Boffa before sinking into the holds of slave ships. In memory of this sinister episode, it is in Boké and not in Conakry that Brazil has set up its general consulate in the Republic of Guinea.