BENKOS BIOHÓ: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS - HISTORY - 2024

Benkos Biohó or Benkos Biojó, also known as Domingo Biohó and king of Arcabuco, was one of the first independence figures in Colombia and Latin America. He was born in the middle or late s. XVI in the Bijagós Islands, Guinea Bissou; and he died on March 16, 1621 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

He became the leader of the maroon black rebellion in the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada (now Colombia) at the beginning of the s. XVII, becoming a symbol of freedom among blacks and other runaway slaves. Fleeing from his slavers, he founded the free settlement San Basilio de Palenque.

In this place indigenous and black maroons lived and coexisted as a free people. Thanks to its cultural value, it was named a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco in 2005. Biohó is described as a strong, brave and brave person, willing to fight for his freedom and that of his loved ones..

Biography

Although there is no exact date of his birth, it is believed that it was between the middle and the end of the s. XVI, in Biohó, region of the Bijagós Islands, in Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea Bissou).

Some historical records affirm that Biohó was born into the royal family of the Bijago ethnic group, settled in the vicinity of West Africa.

In adulthood he was kidnapped by a Portuguese merchant to be transferred and used in one of the new Spanish colonies in South America. In fact, it is estimated that his slave name, Domingo, comes from the aforementioned slave trader.

Both Biohó and his wife and children were taken to the ship owned by the Portuguese slaver, Pedro Gómez Reynel, to be transferred to Cartagena de Indias, an important center of the new kingdom of New Granada.

Later, the family was sold to provide services to Juan de Palacios, but in 1506 they were managed by the governor on duty, Alonso de Campos.

At this point it is worth mentioning that the Bijago race was particularly mistreated by the slavers due to their warrior and rebellious nature. The men were even trained to handle firearms, knives and swords, as well as hand-to-hand combat.

For this reason, evidence has been found that many of these slaves decided to commit suicide in the boats before docking.

Growing up in a warrior community, equitable and independent, it is estimated that Biohó was strongly influenced by these values, which prompted him to consolidate the first Maroon rebellion on the continent.

Flight and government of Palenque de San Basilio

Bohió made a frustrated first escape attempt while being transported on the Magdalena River. After his recapture, he began to plan a second escape from the port of Cartagena, this time with 30 more slaves.

Juan Gómez was in charge of organizing the hunt and the submission of the fugitives. However, they were defeated by the Maroons, which allowed the constitution of a kind of autonomous society in the Montes de María in 1600, with characteristics similar to those of African communities. From this arose the well-known Palenque de San Basilio.

At this same time Biohó established an intelligence network, a prepared and armed army, and recruitment groups in order to find other maroons and slaves. In this period he proclaimed himself the king of Arcabuco.

Other important facts

-After the failure of the capture attempt, the new governor, Gerónimo de Suazo y Casasola, organized a new capture expedition, made up of several Spaniards and slaves. It should be noted that among them was the son of Biohó's master, Francisco de Campos.

-The men of Biohó took Francisco de Campos as prisoner, who also presumably had a romantic relationship with the daughter of the maroon leader, Orika.

-After the death of De Campos by a stray bullet and the execution of Orika for treason, the bases of the palenque's social, political and military organization were established.

-With intentions of obtaining food and other resources, as well as the liberation of other slaves, the men of Palenque made expeditions around Cartagena, Tolú and Mompós.

-Due to the organization of the community, Gerónimo de Suazo y Casasola proposed a peace treaty on July 18, 1605. In this the sovereignty of the inhabitants of Palenque de San Basilio was respected, as long as they did not receive more fugitive slaves, do not incite new leaks and stop referring to Biohó as "king".

-In other agreements reached in the truce, the entry of any Spaniard to the palenque was prohibited, the inhabitants could go to the city dressed and armed without problems and the surrounding communities had to leave species of gifts to avoid the attack of the Maroons.

-The peace only lasted until 1612, during the rise of Governor Diego Fernández de Velasco. Seven years later Biohó was captured while walking unaware through the streets of Cartagena.

-García Girón, new governor of Cartagena, ordered the execution of Biohó because he was considered a figure "who with his lies and charms took all the nations of Guinea behind him."

-On March 16, 1621, Benkos Biohó died by hanging. Soon after, his body was also dismembered.

Contributions

After the death of Benkos Biohó, the Palenque de San Basilio (or Palenque de la Matuna) suffered a series of attacks to eliminate the rebellion of the maroons. However, this company failed, and a series of actions took place thanks to the influence of this character:

-At the end of the s. In the 17th century, in the vicinity of the Montes de María and in other localities of the country, such as the Sierra de Luruaco and the Serranía de San Lucas, maroon palenques were formed that opposed the Spanish yoke.

-The Palenque de San Basilio became the first autonomous and free town in America, by decree of the King of Spain in 1713.

-A type of language was formed that allowed communication between maroon blacks and creoles, which took dialects of old Portuguese and other African expressions, and mixed them with Spanish.

-Thanks to its cultural richness and its historical importance, in 2005 Unesco declared Palenque de San Basilio a World Heritage Site.

-Biohó is considered one of the first initiators of the Latin American independence movement, by promoting the maroon rebellion alongside other characters such as Ganga Zumba in Brazil, Ñanga in Mexico, Francisco Congo in Peru and Andresote in Venezuela.

References

1. Benkos Biohó. (sf). In In the Caribbean. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In En Caribe de caribe.org.
2. Benkos Biohó. (sf). In EcuRed. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In EcuRed of ecured.com.
3. Benkos Biohó. (2009). In Geledes. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Geledes de geledes.org.br.
4. Benkos Biohó. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Wikipedia at en.wikipedia.org.
5. Benkos Biohó. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
6. Ortiz Cassiani, Javier. March 6, 1621

   The death of the black king. (2004). In week. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In Semana de Semana.com.

7. Tatis Guerra, Gustavo. Benkos Biohó, a forgotten hero. (2011). In El Universal. Retrieved: May 10, 2018. In El Universal de eluniversal.com.co.