Behind a door underground in a townhouse on the old hill of the square, in blacks of nagô they confabulated. At the dawn of 25 January 1835, the group of slaves and freeders would confront AE would start a uprising in the Bahian capital.
But a denunciation changed the route of the revolts, which were discovered by a patrol that was looking for the amotinas. As they force the door, the soldiers were surprised by about 70 men who launched themselves to the confrontation with spears and wearing white tunics, the abbot.
The Malês Revolt, the largest and most important urban uprising in Brazil, turns 190 this Saturday (25) amid an effort to rescue his memory and celebration of his legacy, which left marks on.
The rebellion broke out in the regency period and questioned the slave regime. It was organized by Yoruba Muslims, coming from regions where they are currently aeo, in Bahia called Nagôs. The term Malê comes from Imale, which means Muslim in Yoruba.
At the time, Salvador had about 65,000 inhabitants, of which 42% were enslaved blacks. The captives had relative autonomy and part of them worked on the streets as winners or wins (service providers or street vendors). The profits were shared with their masters at the end of the endeavors.
They gathered in associations called work corners, where they developed ties, which later unfolded in political actions.
“These working groups were essential in the mobilization of Africans for the revolt in 1835 and on other occasions,” says historian João José Reis, professor at UFBA (Federal University of Bahia), author of “” and reference in studies on.
The uprising brought together about 600 rebels. After the initial clash, they headed for the City Council, where the public jail operated. They wanted to free the Leader Pacific Licutan, arrested in a kind of confiscation of goods for their Lord’s debts.
The attack was retaliated by guards from the government’s palace, and the rebels went to the vicinity of Campo Grande, where they received reinforcements. They crossed the city center under cross fire and headed to the Baixa.
The final battle took place in the water region of boys, where the uprising was suffocated leaving a 70 -dead balance among the malaies and about ten among the ruling troops. The other rebels were sentenced to penalties that included arrest, whip with up to 1,200 whip and deportation for.
In all, 16 rebels received death penalty. Four were actually killed by a throttle platoon in the field of gunpowder on May 14, 1835. Among them were the freed Jorge da Cruz Barbosa, besides the captives Nagos Gonçalo, Joaquim and Pedro.
In the statements, the defendants were asked about involvement with Islam, a religion that, like the African matrix cults, was not tolerated by the owners of power.
Not all rebels were Muslims, but it was the malays responsible for planning the uprising in meetings that mixed politics and religiosity, explains historian João José Reis.
“The uprising itself took place at the end of the sacred month of Ramadan. The malays went to the streets with Islamic clothes and protective amulets made of copies of prayers, from Quran passages and other writings,” he says.
The revolt was the apex of a series of black uprisings recorded in the previous decades. His outcome was reported in a tone of concern in newspapers throughout Brazil and other countries, which feared new revolts that led to the end of slavery, such as.
The evil revolt left marks in society and has been rescued by entities such as the Islamic Cultural Center of Bahia, which brings together Muslims of Yoruba origin.
“This story is a pride for us,” says the check Ahmad Abdul Hameed, leader of the Islamic Cultural Center of Bahia. He explains that the Islamic religion does not allow slavery, which would have given strength for the malaises to be insurgent: “God did not create anyone to enslave others.”
Since 2022, the entity has added to the efforts of a group of researchers trying to repact a skull that allegedly belonged to one of the members of the revolt and is housed at Harvard University.
In Bahia, the presence of malays left marks in customs, vocabulary and cooking, with dishes like the.
The story inspired carnival entities as, founded in 1979 in the Itapuã neighborhood. In this carnival, the Afro block parades with the theme “With the stone that Exu launched, Malê recounts the story. 190 years later, the revolt continues!”
The slope of the square, where the riot was started in 1835, was renamed the slope of the malaise revolt in initiative of Councilwoman Marta Rodrigues (PT) in 2022. The figure of Luiza Mahin, mother of abolitionist Luiz Gama pointed out as participant of the revolt, although There is no documentary record, it has become a symbol of.
Black movement entities add up to the historical rescue as a symbol of struggle, resistance and memory, says Raimundo Bujão, president of the Bahia Black Entities Federation.
“If we don’t tell this story, people will find it natural that Salvador, with 80% blacks, live this absurd inequality. Inequality is not natural, nor resignation.”
