The destiny of the kingdom of Congo in Brazil of Minas Gerais

Abstract

This article proposes a reading mainly on the social organization of the Congo kingdom (XIV-XVI) in Central Africa through the lens of diaspora in Brazil, specifically the "congado" as a cultural manifestation in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The historiographical reading is replaced by the notion that a future as slaves in a new world produces a common memory about the past which mark the identity of "congadeiros" even them coming from several african regions with different histories each one. The possibility of identify it by means of a close look at the social organization of the Congo reign in Brazil as well as the issues relating to the social structure of the Congo kingdom in its process of politic centralization makes true the importance of studying the history of Africa in order to understand the Brazil's history and vice versa.