Francisco Felix de Sousa
Encyclopedia
Dahomey
Dahomey was a country in west Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state that was founded in the seventeenth century and survived until 1894. From 1894 until 1960 Dahomey was a part of French West Africa. The independent Republic of Dahomey...
region, now known as the Republic of Benin
Republic of Benin
The short-lived Republic of Benin, in Nigeria's coastal Bight of Benin, was named after its capital Benin City. It was known as Mid-Western state in Nigeria until August 1967 when it was occupied by Biafra as its forces advanced towards Lagos...
, he was known for his extravagance and reputably had at least 80 children and 1000 women in his harem. De Sousa continued to market slaves after the trade was abolished. He was apparently so trusted by locals in Dahomey that he was awarded the status of "King" or "chief." Although a devout Catholic, he practised the local Vodun cult and even had his own family Vodun cult. He was buried in Dahomey.
De Sousa was a personal friend of Dahomeyan king Ghezo
Ghezo
Ghezo was the ninth King of Dahomey , considered one of the greatest of the twelve historical kings. He ruled from 1818 to 1858. His name before ascending to the throne was Gakpe....
, who made de Sousa viceroy of Ouidah
Ouidah
Ouidah , also Whydah or Juda, is a city on the Atlantic coast of Benin.The commune covers an area of 364 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 76,555 people.-History:...
after he assisted the King in a 1818 coup which brought him to power. According to Edna Bay, de Sousa was "deeply influential as an intermediary between European and African cultures".
The protagonist of Bruce Chatwin
Bruce Chatwin
Charles Bruce Chatwin was an English novelist and travel writer. He won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel On the Black Hill...
's book The Viceroy of Ouidah
The Viceroy of Ouidah
-Summary:Chatwin's novel, detailing the life of a slave trader named Francisco Manuel da Silva, is loosely based on the life of an historical Brazilian, Francisco Felix de Sousa, who became a powerful personage in Wydah or Ouidah, the so-called Slave Coast of West Africa, now Benin and Togo...
, a white Brazilian slave trader, is reportedly based upon Francisco Félix de Sousa.