Life and death in the Portuguese Shadow Empire: commending the souls in Annobón and Haiti

Abstract

This article introduces a new methodological concept to the study of black religiosity in the Atlantic World, that of the “Portuguese Shadow Empire”. First coined in 1991 by historian George Winius, the concept alludes to indigenous and/or mestizo communities that, either on the periphery or beyond the limits of Portugal’s effective administrative apparatus, developed a new cultural-religious identity according to a Portuguese model, but in a way that involved the modification and critical reinterpretation of Portuguese elements. Because their complex identities does not correspond to traditional postcolonial models of analysis, they have remained largely forgotten in studies of indigenous responses to colonialism, imperialism, and slavery. To illustrate how this concept can allow us to approach expressions of black religiosity from a new perspective, the article will focus on the Atlantic island of Annobón and, from there, draw a parallel with Haiti. It will argue that communities in the “shadow empire” such as those in Annobón provide unique insights into the formation of Luso-African identity. This makes Annobón a unique place to understand and identify Luso-Africanisms in the diaspora and, subsequently, a key to unlocking some complex cultural traditions from black communities in the Americas. This new approach will be exemplified by comparing two Portuguese Lenten rituals: the Portuguese and Annobonese tradition, known as “encomendação das almas”, and the Haitian tradition “Rara”. Studying Rara in parallel with the encomendação das almas in Annobón will allow for a better understanding of this tradition and its rituals.