Capitães de Areia

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The history of the shipment of slaves from Africa to Brazil

The Beginnings

In the 14th and 15th centuries Portugal became one of the leading trade and marine powers and acquired colonies in Brazil and Africa. Right from the beginning the Portuguese were the pioneers in slave trading. Slave trade between Africa and Brazil reached an enormous scale when plantation economy started in Brazil.

Already in 1481, the first fortresses along the west coast of Africa were erected. However, for the Portuguese it took a great deal of persuasion, and sometimes the help of presents, to convince the African rulers. Yet soon there were numerous forts and trading posts in Angola, Congo, Ghana and even Mozambique on the east coast of Africa.

Obtaining Slaves

The power of the Portuguese was mainly limited to coastal regions, that’s why they had to collaborate with African middlemen. In exchange for goods in demand, such as alcohol and firearms, the middlemen were prepared to kidnap their own fellow countrymen, and sell them to the Portuguese. In Angola, slave trade even formed the economic basis.

Slave-hunts were organized, where hundreds of Africans would be caught and imprisoned. They were chained together and forced to make long marches to the coast, where they would then be locked up in the slave traders’ dungeons, waiting to be shipped off.

The slaves couldn’t remove the chains that were put on them when they were caught until the day they died…