Sebastián Lemba

Sebastián Lemba (fl. 1540s) was an African pirate and slave rebel leader who led a prolonged maroon rebellion in the colony of Santo Domingo. Born in Africa, a member of the Lemba tribe, hence the name. When Lemba was a young man he was captured and taken to companies in France and Spain around the year 1525, and was eventually transferred to the island of Hispaniola.

Lemba and a group of slaves rose up against the Spanish colony around the year 1532. They escaped and went to the mountainous interior of the island and for several years fought against the Spanish authorities. Lemba and his group where soon joined by other rebelling slaves. There were estimated to be around 150 and 400 men fighting in the rebellion. Lemba and these men operated like an army. They went throughout villages, ransacking and attacking the Spaniards while liberating other slaves.

Ultimately, on September 25, 1547 Lemba was captured. The circumstances, place and precise date of his death are unclear, however, some sources point to a time period somewhere between 1547 and 1548, in San Juan de la Maguana or elsewhere in the South of the country. But it is also said that he died in Santo Domingo, where he was captured and taken after he was killed in one of the city gates between Fort San pedro and the Puerta del Conde.

The actions of Sebastián Lemba have a particular historical significance, as he was one of the first African slaves to begin the fight against slavery throughout the Americas. Lemba is revered as a national hero in the Dominican Republic with a statue in his honor.