Haiti and Salvador: Revolutions in the 19th Century

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In this episode, I want to delve into a rebellion in the 1800s in Salvador Bahia that I haven't heard discussed very much at all in Capoeira circles I've been a part of. Looking into this rebellion, we can learn a lot about some of the ethnic and demographic changes that occurred throughout the slavery era of Brasil, and how that impacted various movements that were developing and acting in this time. We can also trace a through line between this rebellion and another important one that preceded it, namely the Haitian Revolution. I think it serves as an excellent jumping off point to both learn about the story of that revolution and also see how it ties to and influences rebellion in other parts of Latin America. All of this started from a relatively simple question I had one day: Who were the Malês?

Music included in this episode is Haitian folk music