Esclaves

In 1818 in the realm of Danhomé, a young master of ceremony serves his king and his gods with great devotion, but his skills are useless when faced with the cupidity of man. He can do nothing about the ruthless Portuguese slave merchant, Francisco de Douza, who practices his ignoble trade despite the decrees that have made it illegal. Only one man, the king of Danhomé, dares speak out in defence of his people who are being bought and sold into slavery. However, not only is the king ignored but when his protests become too loud, he is poisoned and loses his throne. His master of ceremony is separated from his family, sold and deported to Brazil. In Recife, he is acquired by Senor Do Nascimento and baptized Miguel. For two years his existence is that of an ordinary slave, working in the sugar cane fields but his friendship with Sule, an old half-freed slave and literate Moslem, helps him to accept his condition and prepare his revolt. He is sold once again as a house slave for a new owner and meets Felix Santana, a free mulatto who is destined to become the leader of one of the most important slave rebellions, the Males Revolt, that shook the city of Bahia in 1835. Along with 700 fellow slaves, Miguel is arrested and deported back to Africa. On April 14th 1836, he sets foot once again on his homeland soil.