Yovogan: o “governador dos homens brancos” no reino do Daomé (Século XVIII)

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the position of the Yovogan (Governor or Chief of the White Men) in the Kingdom of Dahomey during the 18th century. This figure was central to the political cohesion of the kingdom, since he administered Ouidah, a city annexed to Dahomey territory by King Agaja (1716-1740) in the 1720s. Located near the coast, Ouidah was the main commercial port of the Bight of Benin, and was the second largest exporter of enslaved people in Africa. Due to European trade, this city became a cosmopolitan center, marked by the presence of people who traveled across the Atlantic. This aspect made the Yovogan's government unique, since it inserted him into the dynamics of Afro-Atlantic trade. As the main Dahomean authority in the city, the Yovogan represented the king and enforced the determinations coming from the inland court. To this end, he acted as an Afro-Atlantic cultural intermediary. The study of this character contributes to the understanding of the Afro-Atlantic culture consolidated in Ouidah in the 18th century.