Bibiana Vaz de França (c. 1630 – 1694+) was a prominent

nhara Signares were the Mulatto French-African women of the island of Gorée and the city of Saint-Louis in French Senegal during the 18th and 19th centuries. These women of color managed to gain some individual assets, status, and power in the hie ...

slave-trader in

Cacheu Cacheu is a town in northwestern Guinea-Bissau, lying on the Cacheu River. Its population was estimated to be 9,849 . History and landmarks The town of Cacheu is situated in territory of the Papel people. The name is of Bainuk origin: "i.e. ''C ...

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...

. Bibiana Vaz was a Lançada, or Luso-African born to a Kriston mother and Luso-African

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

an father. She married Ambrosia Gomez, who at the time was said to be the richest man in

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

. In 1687 Bibiana Vaz was arrested and taken to São Tiago (today as

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

), where she was held as prisoner. Portuguese authorities, unable to her confiscate her property, granted her a pardon in exchange for an indemnity and a promise that she would construct a fort in Bolor on the

Cacheu River The Cacheu is a river of Guinea-Bissau also known as the Farim along its upper course. Its total length is about 257 km. One of its major tributaries is the Canjambari River. Course Its headwaters are near the northern border of the country, ...

. She never constructed the fort.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaz, Bibiana 17th-century African businesspeople African slave traders African Christians 17th-century businesswomen Women slave owners Bissau-Guinean people of Portuguese descent