Tambor Multiartes

Priestess, slave, queen. After two centuries trapped in Sao Luis, Brazil, Agontimé breaks free and embarks back to her homeland, the Kingdom of Dahomey – current Benin –, hoping to retake the sacred place that is her by right.

In 2011, I visited Mrs. Deni Prata Jardim, the last representative of the Casa das Minas (House of Minas) in Northern Brazil. Among other things, Deni told me the story of the foundation of the house, during the slavery period. Among the slaves, there was a priestess from Dahomey, where she used to be a queen, and worshiped African voodoos. Lacking authorization to practice their worship, the slaves hid in a shed, which has become over the years the House of Minas.