Image description: The image is an old engraving depicting a map. The spatial layout begins on the left, where the Atlantic Ocean is located, marked with the text "OCEANVS ATLANTICVS". Moving to the right, we find the Ethiopic Ocean, circled in orange, with the text "OCEANVS ETIOPICVS" visible. Further to the right, we see the African coast, with several place names written in small letters. At the top, there are references to North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. The upper right portion shows the Red Sea and Asia, with names of countries and regions.Mapa de 1582, de Giovanni Lorenzo d’Anania e Girolamo Porro, com o Atlântico Sul (Oceanus Aethiopicus) em destaque – Fonte: Guia Geográfico
The Atlantic space referred to until the mid-19th century as the Ethiopic Ocean includes the Southern coast of Senegambia and the Gulf of Guinea, according to historian Luiz Felipe de Alencastro. It was located south of the Meteorological equator, according to the author. It was only with the expansion of steam navigation that the name Atlantic came to encompass both oceanic areas. This is what period maps and nautical references record.
Rio Atlântico thus takes shape as a city that is part of this black ocean. And it was black — or "Ethiopic," a term of Greek origin used to refer to the Black population — because it was Africans, above all moved by compulsion, who most circulated within this oceanic space. And the most intense connections across this sea were linked to the African coast, even when conducted by European vessels.
Image description: The image is a painting of a ship. From left to right, we see the ship's bow with the chimney exhaling black smoke. The ship has several windows and wooden structures. In the center, there is a raised platform with people standing on it. On the right, the ship continues sailing on the sea, with rippling water in the background.Representação do navio Itaimbé, da Companhia Nacional de Navegação Costeira – Acervo Canoa de Tolda
The intensity of these connections would drive American intellectual Paul Gilroy's formulation of the concept of the Black Atlantic, and this key idea began to shed new light on the subject. The Black Atlantic is a territory in which the histories and culture of this city develop and express themselves, linking up with other shores of the Afro-diasporic Americas.
