preview

Essay On Domingos Alvares

Decent Essays

Freedom is undoubtedly a virtue, but the definition of personal freedom varies from person to person. For African slaves in Latin America in the 1700’s, full and actual freedom was virtually impossible even if they escaped slavery due to the way society worked. Because of this, African slaves had to find their own ways to be “free.” For Domingos Alvares, freedom was found through spirituality and public healing. Throughout his life, Domingos’ incredible healing powers and ability to create a community caused him both great distress and fulfillment. From being carted away as a slave from his home in Dahomey to being passed around from master to master in Brazil to finding himself as a freed man being taken to Portugal to face the Inquisition, …show more content…

The difference between Almeida and the previous owners of Domingos is that Almeida was not concerned with his social status as long as he made a profit. He allowed Domingos to have his own place to heal and took a large portion of the money Domingos made, leaving Domingos to himself to heal freely. “As Almeida’s slave, Domingos was essentially free- free to heal, free to build therapeutic communities” and while he was not economically free, his personal definition of freedom was fulfilled (page 167). He saw freedom as being able to be a spiritual leader in a community centered around healing and he was at his happiest when he was able to do that. Eventually, Domingos had earned enough to buy his legal freedom from Almeida, allowing him to be both spiritually and economically independent for a while. What Domingos may not have realized was that Almeida, as a powerful white man, offered him protection from those who saw his African healing as a threat to Catholicism and the social order in Brazil. Ignacio Correa Barbosa, Domingos’ neighbor, reported Domingos to the Portuguese Inquisition for having ties with the devil. Domingos was found guilty, imprisoned, and shipped off to Portugal to go on trial and face the full force of the

Get Access