The sacred incorporated

Abstract

The article investigates the various forms of devotion of the main African traditions in the Brazilian diaspora, highlighting, above all, the consecration of the body through rituals in which the powerful and inseparable trio (drumming / singing / dancing) is used in its connection with the elements. of nature and African ancestry. The Congo-Angola, Ewe / Fon / Mina (Jeje) and Yoruba (Nagô) traditions are considered to be separate, intermingled or amalgamated with Catholic, Spiritist or Indigenous rituals, which underlie the creation of numerous religions such as Candomblé, Umbanda, the Drum of Mine, among others, present throughout Brazil and even in other neighboring countries. Rituals, cosmogonies, and graphic writings (crossed out points) are exemplified, as well as African forms and expressions featured in 18th-century Brazilian Baroque / Rococo art by the hands of artists Antônio Francisco de Lisboa, Aleijadinho and Mestre Valentin. It is estimated that while it is possible to perceive in image, sculpture and architecture the strong African influence, on the other hand, the most important diaspora rituals, practiced against the hegemonic Jewish / Christian / Muslim thought, is still a little known ground, as well as its embodied religiosity that manifests itself primarily through performance: dancing, singing and drumming.