Slavery in the Caribbean was anything but a civilizing mission, it was a system of violence, exploitation, and relentless suffering that lasted over 300 years. In Cuba, where the sugar economy thrived on the backs of enslaved Africans, generations lived and died under the weight of chains. But among the oppressed were those who refused to be broken. Carlota Lucumí was one such woman.
The real name of Carlota Lucumi, as well as much of her childhood, is unknown. What is known is that Carlota was born in the early 1800s and was a member of the Yoruba people. While still a child, she was captured by slave traders and transported to Cuba. While enslaved there, she lived among the highly populous enslaved population on the island. The intimate details of her life as a slave are lost to history, but inferences on how she lived can be made.
While still a colony of Spain, Cuba had a large slave-holding population and was economically dependent on enslaved Africans to produce sugarcane. While on the nearby island of Hispaniola, Haitian and Dominican revolutionaries had fought wars to end the practice, Cuba ignored the abolitionist sentiment resounding throughout Latin America and stubbornly continued the practice of slavery.
Enslaved Africans were forced to work long hours in the oppressive Cuban heat, devoting practically all of their energy to hard labor on sugar plantations. Their sleeping quarters were painfully bare, and they received minimal food, medicine, clothing, or daily rest.
Despite laws passed by authorities and appeals to morality, slave owners were unrelenting in their desire not only to possess large numbers of slaves but to control every aspect of their lives. Harsh punishments were routine, and both the quality of life and life expectancy on the plantations were extremely low.
After being captured in Africa, Carlota Lucumí was thrust into the same brutal conditions that countless enslaved Africans before her had suffered. She was forced to endure long, grueling hours on sugar plantations, all while witnessing, and possibly experiencing firsthand, the cruel and violent punishments carried out by overseers.
As enslavement is an unnatural condition for humans to be in, it would be logical that abolitionist sentiment would resonate among the enslaved population.
In November of 1843, a major slave rebellion broke out in Matanzas, Cuba. At the Triunvirato (Triumvirate) plantation, the enslaved Africans had covertly communicated amongst themselves and launched an uprising against their unsuspecting enslavers. Alongside other enslaved individuals such as Eduardo, Narciso, Manuel Ganga, and Firmina, Carlota was one of the principal organizers of the rebellion.
After the outbreak at Triunvirato, the fighting soon spread to several other plantations. The rebellious sentiment spread to enslaved Africans throughout the plantations of Matanzas, and many joined the rebellion in pursuit of their freedom.
Facing a major revolt, the governor of Cuba mobilized the island’s forces. In the fighting that followed, Carlota was killed, and the slave rebellion was put down. Carlota’s contemporaries were also captured and killed, and the institution of slavery remained on the island for another four decades.
To discourage further rebellions from breaking out, Cuban authorities conducted mass interrogations of Africans throughout the island. Torture was a major instrument of use, and while under duress, many Africans were compelled to name other Africans as conspirators. Much of the information regarding Carlota Lucumi comes from these confessions.
In their paranoia over Carlota’s rebellion, the Cuban authorities committed mass executions of free and enslaved Africans. One of the most notable of those killed was Gabriel de la Concepción Valdés, a revered Afro-Cuban poet.
Cuban officials took things a step further by accusing David Turnbull, the British consul to Cuba, of organizing the uprising. While Turnbull was an ardent abolitionist, he had been expelled from his post years before the uprising began, and there is no evidence to show that he played any part in it. The pro-slavery advocates of the time could not comprehend that enslaved Africans had organized and carried out a rebellion on their own. This disbelief stemmed from their deep-rooted racial prejudices, which viewed enslaved Africans as incapable of acting or leading independently.
While Carlota’s rebellion was unsuccessful, it is still of great importance. In the modern day, she is considered a martyr in the struggle against slavery, as well as a Cuban national hero.
Sources:
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/la-escalera-conspiracy
https://thefemalesoldier.com/blog/carlota
