Brazilians in Nigeria

**Brazilians in Nigeria**, commonly known as **Agudas** or **Amaros**, are descendants of freed Afro-Brazilian slaves who returned to West Africa after emancipation in Brazil. They settled in **Nigeria, Benin, and Togo**, with a significant presence in **Lagos**, Nigeria. The term may also refer to first-generation Brazilian expatriates in Nigeria today.

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## History

### Origins and Migration
- During the **Transatlantic Slave Trade**, an estimated **300,000 Africans** from the Gulf of Guinea were transported to Brazil.
- Freed Afro-Brazilians began returning to Africa in the **1830s**, especially after events like the **Malê Revolt** (1835) in Salvador, Brazil.
- The returnees, many of Yoruba descent, brought with them **Catholicism**, **Portuguese language**, and **Brazilian culture**, settling primarily in **Lagos**.

### Settlement in Lagos
- In **1852**, the returnees were granted land in what became **Popo Aguda** (Brazilian Quarters) by **Oba Ojulari**.
- They built a tight-knit, cosmopolitan community centered around **Campos Square**, **Bamgbose**, and **Tokunboh** streets.
- By the **1880s**, they made up **9% of Lagos’s population**.

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## Culture and Identity

### Names and Religion
- Names like **Pinheiro**, **Da Silva**, **De Souza**, **Moreira**, and **Campos** are common among Agudas.
- Predominantly **Catholic**, though many also practiced **Islam** or **Yoruba traditional religion**.
- The community had religious tolerance and often intermarried across faiths.
- Titles used:
  - **Papae/Mamae** – those born in Africa and taken to Brazil.
  - **Yaya/Yayo** – those born in Brazil and returned.

### Celebrations and Cuisine
- Celebrated **Catholic festivals** with Brazilian flair (e.g., Easter with **Caretas**, Epiphany with **burrinha**, and **Nosso Senhor do Bonfim**).
- Maintained **Brazilian cuisine**: *pirão de caranguejo*, *mungunzá*, *mingau*, *feijão-de-leite*.
- Popularized **cassava** cultivation in agriculture.

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## Religion and Architecture

### Holy Cross Cathedral
- Built by Agudas, completed in **1881**, originally a **bamboo mass center**.
- Final Gothic design imposed by **French missionaries**, though Agudas preferred Baroque.
- Builders included **Francisco Nobre**, **Lázaro Borges da Silva**, and others.
- They also built the **Old Central Mosque**.

### Afro-Brazilian Architecture
- Influenced by **Baroque Brazilian styles**: shuttered windows, stucco walls, ornate doorways.
- Structures called **sobrados**: multi-storey homes with ground-floor shops and upper-floor residences.
- Contrasted with **Yoruba extended-family mud homes**, these were built for **nuclear families**.

#### Notable Buildings:
- **Hephzhi Bar House** (1924): Built for P.H. Williams, designed by **Herbert Macaulay**.
- **Water House**: Built by **Joao Esan da Rocha**, later expanded by **Candido da Rocha**. Sold well water from a backyard well.

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## Trade and Occupations

- Agudas pioneered **Transatlantic trade** with Brazil, exporting **kola nuts**, **cotton**, and **artifacts**.
- Faced decline in trade by early 20th century, shifting focus to **agriculture** and **craftsmanship**.
- Skilled artisans: **bricklayers**, **carpenters**, **tailors**, and **cabinetmakers**.
- Women like **Yaya Clemencia Guinaries** became prominent dressmakers.

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## Political and Social Integration

- Collaborated with the **British colonial government** and traditional Yoruba rulers.
- Some aided the **Ijesha** in wars against **Ibadan** by supplying weapons.
- Formed societies like the **Aurora Relief Society** to research and preserve Aguda culture.

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## Notable Brazilians in Nigeria

- **DJ Caise**
- **DJ Xclusive**
- **Adetokunbo Ademola**
- **Adeyemo Alakija**
- **Aduke Alakija**
- **Kojo Annan**
- **Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi**
- **Mobolaji Bank Anthony**
- **Bankole Cardoso**
- **Candido Da Rocha**
- **Moses Da Rocha**
- **T. A. Doherty**
- **Bernardine Evaristo**
- **Abimbola Fernandez**
- **Antonio Deinde Fernandez**
- **J. M. Johnson**
- **Jibril Martin**
- **Orlando Martins**
- **Abimbola Omololu-Mulele**
- **Femi Pedro**
- **Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu**
- **Joke Silva**

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## Related Topics

- **<a href="/wiki/Tabom%20people/">Tabom people</a>(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabom_people)** – Afro-Brazilians in Ghana
- **Emancipados**
- **Saros (Sierra Leonean returnees)**
- **Nigerian bourgeoisie**
- **Assimilados**

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## References

- Cunha, M.C. (1985). *Da senzala ao sobrado: arquitetura brasileira na Nigéria e na República Popular do Benim.*
- Otero, Solimar (2002). *"Orunile," heaven is home: Afrolatino diasporas in Africa and the Americas.*
- Alonge, M.M.D. (1994). *Afro-Brazilian Architecture in Lagos State: A Case for Conservation.*