Lanceiros Negros and Luiz Gonzaga are included in the Book of Heroes of the Fatherland.

By Fabíola Siminbú, reporter for Agência Brasil - The Black Lancers, a group of enslaved men who fought in the Farroupilha Civil War against imperial troops alongside the revolutionaries, were inscribed this Monday (8) in the Book of Heroes and Heroines of the Fatherland, known as the Book of Steel. The tribute was instituted by Law 14.795 / 2024 published in Official Gazette.

The new Brazilian heroes are part of an episode in the country's history in which they were protagonists, fighting with exceptional skills both in horsemanship and in handling the lances that lined the front of the revolutionary battalions.

According to the journalist and author of the book Kamba'race: Afro-descendants in the Brazilian armyAccording to Sionei Ricardo Leão, this leading role was unprecedented in the formation of an organized and efficient cavalry of enslaved people. "A cavalry has always been a more robust organization, partly because animals cost money and it was usually the noblest people who owned animals, so the Black Lancers are surprising because they were a mounted troop of enslaved people with great skill," he explains.

According to the researcher, this highlight is important for the history of the region, since the participation of slaves in wars was not new in the 19th century, nor was the betrayal they suffered in the Porongos Massacre, when about 100 unarmed Black Lancers were betrayed by revolutionaries and shot, just months before the signing of the peace treaty.

For Sionei, this heroic protagonism is what constitutes justice to the memory of these black people who also fought for freedom and, for the most part, were deceived. “Some of them were taken to Rio de Janeiro while still enslaved and remained in those conditions until the Golden Law, another group was incorporated into the Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Army, but they were not the only ones who did not receive recognition, other groups also did not receive what was promised.

LUIZ GONZAGA AND DORINA NOWILL - The composer and singer from Pernambuco, Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento, the King of Baião, and the educator and philanthropist from São Paulo, Dorina de Gouvêa Nowill, who promoted accessibility and education for blind people, were also added to the Book of Heroes and Heroines of the Nation this Monday.

STEEL BOOK The Book of Heroes and Heroines of the Fatherland, or Book of Steel, is a Brazilian memorial that immortalizes the names of figures who were important in the construction of Brazil. Located in the Pantheon of the Fatherland, in the Three Powers Square in Brasília, the memorial features names such as Zumbi dos Palmares, Zilda Arns, Carlos Gomes, and Chico Mendes.