João Cândido Felisberto was born under the Free Womb Law (Law 2040/1871) in 1880, on a farm in Encruzilhada do Sul/RS. At the age of 14, he joined the Navy as a ship's boy and later became a sailor, traveling through Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
Sent to England in July 1909 to learn how to operate the battleship Minas Gerais, he learned about sailors' revolts, such as that of the battleship Potemkin, staged in 1905 by Russian sailors, who demanded better working conditions. Inspired by what he had heard at the British shipyard, upon arriving in Brazil, he tried to negotiate the end of the whip with then-president Nilo Peçanha, without success. The use of the whip as punishment in the Brazilian Navy had been abolished on November 16, 1889; in practice, however, it continued to be applied.
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph. In the center of the image is a man wearing a sailor's uniform, with a white shirt and a black neckerchief around his neck. He is also wearing a white hat. The background is plain, with no specific details.João Cândido
João Cândido did not give up on his idea and, in November 1910, together with a few companions, began planning a rebellion. The revolt was triggered by the punishment of the sailor Marcelino de Menezes. João Cândido took the lead of the movement aboard the Minas Gerais. After sending a letter to President Marechal Hermes da Fonseca, the sailors received the government's envoy, congressman José Carlos de Carvalho, and negotiated amnesty and the end of the lash.
The unhappy ending is already well known: the sailors were betrayed by the president, João Cândido was arrested, interrogated, and taken to Ilha das Cobras. In solitary cell number five, which only fit 6 prisoners, 18 men were held for three days, with nothing to eat or drink, in unbearable heat. Only two survived: João Cândido and João Avelino Lira.
In April 1911, João Cândido was admitted to the Hospital Nacional de Alienados. The institution's director, Juliano Moreira, certified that the sailor was not insane. Released, he returned to prison. He was acquitted in a moving trial, defended by the then-young lawyer Evaristo de Moraes.
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph. In the image, we see three people in a setting that appears to be a market or fair. The person on the far left is holding a large wooden basket full of fish. In the center, a woman smiles while holding a smaller basket. On the right, a man wearing a hat and a white shirt stands near a large basket of fish. Everyone is standing on a wooden table.João Cândido selling fish at Praça XV, 1938. Biblioteca Nacional Collection - BN Digital
He was released from prison in December 1912 and started selling fish to support himself. He spent his last years in São João de Meriti.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an elderly man. He is seated, with his right hand raised, pointing forward. The man wears a white shirt open at the neck and round glasses. In the background, there is a wall with a partially open window, revealing an outside view.João Cândido in 1963. Arquivo Nacional - Correio da Manhã Fund
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BERNARDO, André. A conturbada vida de João Cândido, líder da Revolta da Chibata preso, expulso da Marinha e internado como louco. Available at: BBC CHEUICHE, Alcy. João Cândido, o almirante negro. Porto Alegre: LP&M, 2011. LAMARÃO, Sergio and URBINATI, Inoã Carvalho. João Cândido - entry. Available at: CPDOC - Fundação Getúlio Vargas MOREL, Edmar. A Revolta da Chibata (1958). 4th ed. Rio de Janeiro: Edições Graal /Paz e Terra, 1986.
