Xica Manicongo
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The beloved and revered Xica Manicongo is the earliest known recorded name of a transgender person from Brazil. Enslaved and brought across the ocean, Xica refused to renounce her origins and identity in the face of colonial oppression. The Inquisition convicted the gender non-conforming Manicongo of sodomy and witchcraft.
Photo credits
Painting “Xica Manicongo”
Year: 2024
Creator: Miguel Galindo
Copyright: Grupo Gay da Bahia
The beloved and revered Xica Manicongo is the earliest known recorded name of a transgender person from Brazil. Enslaved and brought across the ocean, Xica refused to renounce her origins and identity in the face of colonial oppression. The Inquisition convicted the gender non-conforming Manicongo of sodomy and witchcraft.
Biography
This page is under construction
Literature and sources
‘Xica Manicongo‘, abigail Campos Leal, 35th Bienal de São Paulo, 2023.
‘Brazil Carnival Makes History Honoring Xica Manicongo, the Country’s First Recorded Trans Woman‘, BELatina Daily, 4 april 2025.
‘Quem foi Xica Manicongo?,’ Arte de Maria, 27 april 2023.
‘Xica Manicongo,’ Queer Histories, Adriano Pedrosa (red.), 2025.