State Construction and Representation of the African- Brazilian Identity in Colonial Lagos

Abstract

The invasion of Lagos in 1851 and the eventual annexation of 1862 by the British colonial state witnessed the birth of the purported “legitimate commerce”. This era coincided with the repatriation of African ex-slaves from Brazil in consequence to the 1835 Bahia Revolt. Entrepreneurial skills of the African-Brazilian ex-slaves, in particular their expertise in agricultural activities drew them closer to the colonial state. Hoping to secure the active participation of the returnees in new forms of commerce, the British colonial state concocted narratives of “African Brazilian exceptionalism” by offering several incentives to the benefit of the returnees. However, decades before the close of the 19th century, the British colonial-invented concept of “African Brazilian exceptionalism” was put on trial. This paper intends to pursue two subject matters, first, the modus operandi, that was built on both myth and fact and employed by the British colonial state in institutionalizing “African-Brazilian exceptionalism”, and second the subsequent attempts employed by membres of the community in embracing their African social identity during the 20th century.