The Centre of Latin American Studies (CLAS), in collaboration with the Legacies of Enslavement Special Initiative, opened its Michaelmas Term seminar series with a public lecture by Professor João José Reis, Simón Bolívar Professor at CLAS 2025–26. The event was chaired by Dr Adrián Lerner Patrón and brought together students, academics and members of the wider community.
Professor Reis presented his forthcoming book on Manoel Joaquim Ricardo, an enslaved Hausa man who arrived in Bahia in the early nineteenth century, secured his freedom and went on to become a successful merchant and slave owner.
A window into Afro-Brazilian social worlds
Professor Reis used Manoel Joaquim Ricardo’s story to illuminate the social landscape of Bahia, where enslaved and freed Africans navigated complex systems of economic opportunity, legal restriction, cultural identity and community life.
The lecture examined themes including the West African origins of many captives, urban slavery, manumission processes and patron–client relationships after freedom.
Business, family and the politics of freedom
Africans in Bahia, including Ricardo, used a range of strategies to secure economic stability and social recognition. These included business partnerships, financial investment, marriage and property ownership – including the ownership of other Africans even while themselves were unfree.
Godparenthood and ritual kinship
A highlight of the seminar was the discussion of ritual kinship, particularly godparenthood. Professor Reis explained that godparenthood went beyond religious ceremony. For many freed Africans, it functioned as a form of social alliance, creating obligations of support, protection and mutual benefit.
Godparenthood became part of the social fabric of Afro-Brazilian life, reinforcing both community cohesion and status. It helped structure networks that supported business, family life and religious practice — and shaped how individuals like Ricardo navigated their world.
Freedom, identity and power
Ricardo’s life reveals how freedom in 19th-century Brazil was layered, relational and deeply shaped by community. His biography moves beyond the story of one man and his family, showing how freedom was negotiated through community, kinship and social connection. His story prompts questions about identity, social mobility and the legacies of enslavement.
About the Simón Bolívar Professor
The Simón Bolívar Chair in Latin American Studies is a visiting professorship funded by the Venezuelan government. It is awarded annually to a distinguished Latin American scholar or public intellectual and is hosted by the Centre of Latin American Studies.
About Professor João José Reis
Professor João José Reis is Professor of History at the Federal University of Bahia and a leading scholar of Atlantic slavery, African diaspora, and Afro-Brazilian social history. His research has transformed understanding of slavery, resistance, religion, and everyday life in Brazil.
He has held visiting positions at Princeton, Harvard, and Michigan, and fellowships at major institutions worldwide. An Honorary Foreign Member of the American Historical Association, he has received top awards including the Jabuti, Casa de las Américas, and Machado de Assis prizes.
Books by Professor João José Reis (available in English)
- Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The Story of Brazil’s Largest Slave Revolt (1993)
- Death is a Festival: Funeral Rites and Rebellion in Nineteenth-Century Brazil (2003)
- Divining Slavery and Freedom: The Story of Domingos Sodré, an African Priest in Nineteenth-Century Brazil (2015)
- The Story of Rufino: Slave Trade, Freedom, and the Life of an African Sailor in the Americas (2021, with Flávio Gomes and Marcus Carvalho)