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St. Anastácia
There are very few concrete
records concerning this black slave who was
daughter of an African princess. This princess’
village was invaded by Portuguese citizens and a
Portuguese trader. On April 9th 1740, a
slave-ship called Madalena arrived in Rio de
Janeiro coming from Africa with a shipment of
112 Bantu Negros from Congo in order to be sold
as slaves in Brazil. Among them, there was a
woman named Delminda, Anastácia's mother, who
was a very beautiful and attractive young woman
with her personal charming and in view of this
she was bought still there at the quay. As an
undefended person, Delminda was raped and got
pregnant by a white man and thus her daughter
Anastácia was born with blue eyes. Before
Anastácia's birth, Delminda would have lived for
a certain period in the state of Bahia where she
helped a lot of slaves who were fugitive from
slavery. Anastácia was born in a city called
Pompeu on May 12th in a region called
centre-west of Minas Gerais. Described as one of
the most important female figures in black
history, Princess Anastácia is reverenced as a
saint and as a heroine in several regions from
Brazil for being a very beautiful woman; she was
also seized, tortured and raped by the son of a
land-steward. Notwithstanding, Anastácia kept
to herself always conveying dignity, honor and
haughtiness of who she was refusing herself to
be touched by the men. Thus, she caused a huge
anger from these men who made the decision of
punishing her even more, submitting her to the
usage of an iron mask that was only taken off
during her meals. The wives and the daughters of
the slave-holders were the ones who gave a very
strong support so that such iron mask should be
kept since Anastácia's black beauty caused in
these women a very strong envy and jealousy.
Despite the torture and mistreatment Princesses
Anastasia helped many slaves who were punished
and helped them to escape. She got the image of
a woman who was of great beauty compassion,
love, with a strong personality of will and
determination who had a conscience regarding the
unjustness and cruelty caused by slavery.
Anastácia's punishment
lasted for several years. Very sick, Anastácia
was taken to Rio de Janeiro where she passed
away and her body was buried at Rosário's
Church.
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