Zungus

The zungus were very important places for enslaved and freed people in Rio in the 19th century. They formed an "invisible community" of solidarity.

In Bantu-branch languages, zungu can be understood as "burrow" or "hole" (Kimbundu language); or "house of angu," from the combination of the words "nzu" - which means house - and "ungu" - an approximation of the word angu (Kikongo language). In Rio, the zungus were spaces located in the city's central region that served as housing, sites for religious practices, parties, capoeira, and hideouts for enslaved people on the run.

Image description: This is a painting depicting an outdoor market or fair scene. The image is divided into two main parts: left and right. On the left side, we see a figure in profile, wearing a yellow cloak with golden patterns, holding a blue container. Beside them, there is a white tray with red flowers. In the background, a figure stands wearing a green dress and holding a straw hat. In the distance, we see a metal structure, possibly a ship. On the right side, several figures are gathered around large red pots containing food. The people are wearing colorful clothing, including blue, yellow, and red fabrics. One figure holds a pink parasol. There is also a standing figure wearing a light blue cloak, with their head covered by a white headscarf. The lighting suggests the scene takes place during the day, with the sun shining over the participants.

They were houses hidden among the other urban buildings, with their narrow façades, long hallways, and open courtyards in the middle of the structure. Most of them were run by the market women of Praia do Peixe, who, out of solidarity, served angu to other enslaved people in the city, which is where the nickname "casa de angu" (angu house) came from. Many enslaved people who hired out their own labor circulated through the zungus, along with freedmen, people newly arrived from the African continent, and enslaved people brought from Bahia and other cities, who, all mixed together, made it difficult for the police to identify who was a runaway and who was not. The zungus' association with spaces for meals also helped keep them invisible for many years in the eyes of police repression, who did not see in them the same danger they saw in quilombos. This invisibility was essential for the zungus to multiply.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph showing a bustling market. On the left, two women carry large baskets of fruit on their heads. In front of them, a man seen from behind is also holding a large basket. In the center, several people are arranging and selling produce in stacked baskets. In the background, there are buildings with sloped roofs and a circular structure with a covering. On the right, other individuals are engaged in commercial activities.

In the final years of slavery, the zungus were already spaces known to and combated by the police, who would arrive there through denunciations and carry out raids to put an end to the “batuques,” leading to the arrest of enslaved people and many freedmen. But this was not enough to stop the urban Black population from frequenting the zungus, allowing them to exist even after abolition.

For many scholars, Casa da Tia Ciata, which in the final years of the 19th century served as an important space for the spread of samba and other cultural expressions of the Black population, represents an offshoot of those 19th-century zungus.