Why Brazil Sings Spirituals: 3.6 Million African Slaves

[AfroBrazilian bass singer Juarês De Mira operates the Negro Spirituals Project: Songs of Freedom, in his native Brazil.]

Yesterday we presented a post with links to videos of Juarês De Mira singing African American spirituals which are often associated with North America. Seven of his songs are included at the Henry T. Burleigh page and the Audio page of AfriClassical.com Today we examine why the songs have relevance in South America's most populous country, Brazil.

UNESCO's web presentation Slavery in Brazil recounts the long and brutal history of African slavery in Brazil, where it is estimated 3.6 million Africans were imported. Emancipation did not come to Afro-Brazilians until 1888, it says. Here is a brief excerpt from its report:

The reign of D. Pedro II, also called the second reign, extended from 1840 to 1889. One of the great internal questions of the Empire was the slavery, which started in the beginning of the colonial times in 1532 and extended itself up to 1888. In these three centuries and a half of slavery the black race had an important role in the economic development that started from the colonial phase and continued after the Independence.

The blacks, bought in Africa, traversed the Atlantic Ocean in terrible conditions in vessels called “black ships”.

As to how many slaves entered Brazil there is an estimative from a famous historian (Taunay) who calculated in 3.600.000 African slaves arrived in Brazil. He distributed by centuries: 100.000 in century XVI, 600.000 in century XVII, 1.300.000 in century XVIII and 1.600.000 in century XIX.

Full Report at: Slavery in Brazil

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