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O Alufa Rufino: Trafico, Escravidao E Liberdade No Atlantico Negro
Winner of the Casa de las Am�rica Prize for Brazilian Literature, The Story of Rufino reconstructs the lively biography of Rufino Jos� Maria, set against the historical context of Brazil and Africa in the nineteenth century.
The book tells the story of Rufino or Abuncare, a Yoruba Muslim from the kingdom of Oyo, in present-day Nigeria. Enslaved as an adolescent by a rival ethnic group, he was captured by Brazilian slave traders and taken to Brazil as a slave sometime in the early 1820s. In 1835, after being enslaved in
Salvador and Rio Grande do Sul, Rufino bought his freedom with money he made as a hired-out slave and perhaps from making Islamic amulets. He found work in Rio de Janeiro as a cook on a slave ship bound for Luanda in Angola, despite the trans-Atlantic slave trade having been illegal in Brazil since
1831. Rufino himself became a petty slave trader. He made a few voyages before his ship was captured by the British and taken to Sierra Leone in 1841 for trial by the Anglo-Brazilian Mixed Commission to determine if it was equipped for the slave trade, since there were no slaves on board. During the
three months awaiting the court's decision, Rufino lived among Yoruba Muslims, his people, and attended Quranic and Arabic classes. He later returned to Sierra Leone as a witness in a court case and attended classes with Muslim masters for almost two years. Once back in Brazil, he established
himself as a diviner -- serving whites and blacks, free and slaves, Brazilians and Africans, Muslim and non-Muslims -- as well as a spiritual leader, an Alufa, in the local Afro-Muslim community. In 1853 Rufino was arrested due to rumors of an imminent African slave revolt. The police used as
evidence for his arrest the large number of Arabic manuscripts in his possession, the same kind of material the police had found with Muslim rebels in Bahia thirty years earlier. During his interrogation, Rufino told his life story, which is used to reconstruct the world in which he lived under
slavery and in freedom on African shores, aboard slave ships, and in Brazil.
An extraordinary Atlantic history carefully pieced together from the archives, The Story of Rufino illuminates the complexities of slavery and freedom in Africa and Brazil and the resilience of ethnic and religious identities.
The book tells the story of Rufino or Abuncare, a Yoruba Muslim from the kingdom of Oyo, in present-day Nigeria. Enslaved as an adolescent by a rival ethnic group, he was captured by Brazilian slave traders and taken to Brazil as a slave sometime in the early 1820s. In 1835, after being enslaved in
Salvador and Rio Grande do Sul, Rufino bought his freedom with money he made as a hired-out slave and perhaps from making Islamic amulets. He found work in Rio de Janeiro as a cook on a slave ship bound for Luanda in Angola, despite the trans-Atlantic slave trade having been illegal in Brazil since
1831. Rufino himself became a petty slave trader. He made a few voyages before his ship was captured by the British and taken to Sierra Leone in 1841 for trial by the Anglo-Brazilian Mixed Commission to determine if it was equipped for the slave trade, since there were no slaves on board. During the
three months awaiting the court's decision, Rufino lived among Yoruba Muslims, his people, and attended Quranic and Arabic classes. He later returned to Sierra Leone as a witness in a court case and attended classes with Muslim masters for almost two years. Once back in Brazil, he established
himself as a diviner -- serving whites and blacks, free and slaves, Brazilians and Africans, Muslim and non-Muslims -- as well as a spiritual leader, an Alufa, in the local Afro-Muslim community. In 1853 Rufino was arrested due to rumors of an imminent African slave revolt. The police used as
evidence for his arrest the large number of Arabic manuscripts in his possession, the same kind of material the police had found with Muslim rebels in Bahia thirty years earlier. During his interrogation, Rufino told his life story, which is used to reconstruct the world in which he lived under
slavery and in freedom on African shores, aboard slave ships, and in Brazil.
An extraordinary Atlantic history carefully pieced together from the archives, The Story of Rufino illuminates the complexities of slavery and freedom in Africa and Brazil and the resilience of ethnic and religious identities.
488 pages, ebook
First published January 3, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 6, 2020
In the research that I have conducted about the slave trade in Brazil, no other book comes close in providing such a detailed account of the middle passage. This book works because it captures each layer of the transatlantic slave trade through its central focus— Rufino. With strong numerical and anecdotal evidence, The Story of Rufino elucidates an inherently complicated process.
As a slave and cook aboard a slave ship, Rufino experienced the transatlantic slave trade from both points of view. As a slave captured from West Africa, Rufino was brought to Bahia to work at an apothecary. After a brief stint in Rio Grande do Sul, Rufino was finally freed.
The 1830s urban Brazil of Rufino was extremely diverse. Bahia functioned as a Luso-African metropolis and a proverbial "Tower of Babel." Despite their ethnic and linguistic differences, African slaves shared a common experience of oppression and a common reaction of resistance. As such, the Brazilian power elite lived under a constant fear of insurrection.
Motivated by the financial incentives, Rufino served as a cook and a translator aboard a slave ship. As a cook, Rufino had the crucial job of ensuring that slaves were well fed. If done poorly, dozens of slaves could die thereby curtailing potential economic profit. Some journeys recorded mortality rates as high as 26.8%.
The book also covers the black market slave trade of 1830 to 1850 and the work of the British Royal Navy to prevent illegal slave ships from reaching Brazil. João José Reis captures the evils of mid- nineteenth Brazilian slavocracy with stunning accuracy and depth. I highly recommend this book.
As a slave and cook aboard a slave ship, Rufino experienced the transatlantic slave trade from both points of view. As a slave captured from West Africa, Rufino was brought to Bahia to work at an apothecary. After a brief stint in Rio Grande do Sul, Rufino was finally freed.
The 1830s urban Brazil of Rufino was extremely diverse. Bahia functioned as a Luso-African metropolis and a proverbial "Tower of Babel." Despite their ethnic and linguistic differences, African slaves shared a common experience of oppression and a common reaction of resistance. As such, the Brazilian power elite lived under a constant fear of insurrection.
Motivated by the financial incentives, Rufino served as a cook and a translator aboard a slave ship. As a cook, Rufino had the crucial job of ensuring that slaves were well fed. If done poorly, dozens of slaves could die thereby curtailing potential economic profit. Some journeys recorded mortality rates as high as 26.8%.
The book also covers the black market slave trade of 1830 to 1850 and the work of the British Royal Navy to prevent illegal slave ships from reaching Brazil. João José Reis captures the evils of mid- nineteenth Brazilian slavocracy with stunning accuracy and depth. I highly recommend this book.
August 20, 2025
bão livro, irei reler algumas vezes vários desses capítulos.
April 3, 2021
Required reading for a graduate seminar, Comparative Slavery
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews