Francisco Félix de Souza (4 October 1754 – 8 May 1849) was a Brazilian slave trader who was deeply influential in the regional politics of pre-colonial

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...

(namely, current-day

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...

and

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

). He founded

Afro-Brazilian Afro-Brazilians ( pt, afro-brasileiros; ) are Brazilians who have predominantly African ancestry (see " preto"). Most members of another group of people, multiracial Brazilians or ''pardos'', may also have a range of degree of African ancestry. ...

communities in areas that are now part of those countries, and went on to become the "''chachá''" of Ouidah (the slave trading hub for the region), a title that conferred no official powers but commanded local respect in the

Kingdom of Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

, where, after being jailed by King

Adandozan Adandozan was a king of the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, from 1797 until 1818. His rule ended with a coup by his brother Ghezo who then erased Adandozan from the official history resulting in high uncertainty about many aspects of hi ...

of Dahomey, he helped Ghezo ascend the throne in a coup d'état. He became ''chacha'' to the new king, a curious phrase that has been explained as originating from his saying "(...) já, já.", a Portuguese phrase meaning something will be done right away. His early years in Africa are well documented in a long article (in Portuguese) by Alberto Costa e Silva entitled "The Early Years of Francisco Féliz de Souza on the Slave Coast". Francisco Félix de Souza was a major slave trader and merchant who traded in

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced fr ...

, gold and slaves. He migrated from Brazil to what is now the African republic of

. He has been called "the greatest slave trader". Trading

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

from what was then the

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

region, he was known for his extravagance and was reputed to have had at least 80 children with women in his

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

. De Souza continued to market slaves after the trade was abolished in most jurisdictions. He was apparently so trusted by the locals in Dahomey that he was awarded the status of a

chieftain A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...

." Although a Catholic, he practiced the

Vodun Vodun (meaning ''spirit'' in the Fon, Gun and Ewe languages, with a nasal high-tone ''u''; also spelled Vodon, Vodoun, Vodou, Vudu, Voudou, Voodoo, etc.) is a religion practiced by the Aja, Ewe, and Fon peoples of Benin, Togo, Ghana, and ...

religion, and had his own family shrine. He was buried in Dahomey.Jose C. Curto: ''Africa and The Americas: Interconnections During The Slave Trade'' (2005) p. 235

Family and legacy

De Souza is regarded as the "father" of the city of Ouidah. The city has a statue of De Souza, a plaza named after De Souza, and a museum dedicated to the De Souza family. According to Edna Bay, De Souza was "deeply influential as an intermediary between European and African cultures". Today he is known as a founding

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in c ...

of the Afro-Brazilian communities in

, Benin and

. The de Souza family has been very instrumental in fighting for the independence of Togo, Ghana, Nigeria and Benin. Figures like Paul-Emile de Souza, a president of Benin, and Chantal de Souza Boni Yayi, a former first lady of Benin, typify the class. According to the de Souza family, Francisco Félix de Souza was the eighth generation descendant of Tomé de Souza (1503–1579), a Portuguese

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

who was the first governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1549 to 1553. If true, it would make the contemporary de Souzas members of the

Portuguese nobility Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

in addition to being an African

chieftaincy A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...

family. A descendant of Francisco Felix de Souza is Martine de Souza along her paternal line. She is also descended along her maternal line from Joaquim João Dias Lima, a prominent Brazilian trader in

during the late 1800's. Dias Lima's wife, Marie, was a Nigerian captured by '' Ahosi'' and sold to Dias Lima, who later married her. Martine de Souza and her mother, Lali, share the story with the actress

Lupita Nyong'o Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (, ; ; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. The daughter of Kenyan politi ...

during the filming of the documentary ''Warrior'' ''Women with Lupita Nyong'o'' in Benin. Martine de Souza is one of the leading tourism guides in Benin, not only having provided guide service to Nyong'o, but also for PBS, National Geographic and NBC. The protagonist of

Bruce Chatwin Charles Bruce Chatwin (13 May 194018 January 1989) was an English travel writer, novelist and journalist. His first book, ''In Patagonia'' (1977), established Chatwin as a travel writer, although he considered himself instead a storyteller, ...

's novel '' The Viceroy of Ouidah'' is said to be based upon the life of Francisco Félix de Souza.

References

;General * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sousa, Francisco Felix 1754 births 1849 deaths People from Salvador, Bahia Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Brazilian people of indigenous peoples descent Brazilian Roman Catholics Brazilian emigrants to Benin People from Ouidah Beninese people of Portuguese descent Brazilian occultists Voodoo practitioners Portuguese slave traders African slave traders 18th-century Portuguese businesspeople 19th-century Brazilian businesspeople