Carlota: Enslaved African Woman Leader of the 1843 Slave Rebellion Who Used a “Machete” as Weapon
uprising at the Triumvirato sugar mill in Matanzas Province and was
later brutally murdered. She was one of the 3 leaders of the rebellion.
Her name was later given to Cuba’s 1980’s operation Black Carlota in
Southern Africa, which culminated in the battle of Cuito Cuanavale and
the defeat of the South African army in pitch battle.
Matanzas was the scene of many confrontations between enslaved
Africans and the slave system regime in Cuba during 1843 and 1844. The
uprising at the sugar – estate Triumvirato under the leadership of the
heroic Carlota had a great impact both inside and outside of the island.
Those struggles began in July and August of the year 1843. By means of
‘talking drums’ the rebels were called for battle. When hearing the
sounds of the drums, the slave-owners most likely thought that the
Africans were paying tribute to their ancestors in sessions held in and
around their barracoons. A man by the name of Evaristo and a woman
called Fermina of the sugar estate Arcana, were in charge of all
preparations. Their task was to encourage the enslaved people to rise up
and put an end to the hated system of human exploitation.
