LUCAS CARNEIRO Music 307 Global Perspective Candombl Installment #2 Thesis: Although Candombl combines African and Catholic
ic ideas, in this paper I will show it honors and gives more power to women than Western religions.
The situation in which the (African) woman arrived in Brazil is totally diverse from the situation that she had in her places of origin. Slavery represented a radical transformation in the relations between man and woman, and this transformation will deeply influence her place in this new world.(Consorte 2013) African women in Brazil had to construct themselves in this way (Candomble). This context, forced by the trafficking of slaves, will impose on the woman the role of reconstituting the lost ties of family. In the means that (African) men in the slave trade torn from their families as well as each member of the family being torn and distributed throughout the Americas, the woman fit in detaining the function of giving continuity to a process that was interrupted in the original continent. The woman then being owner of the secret, owner of life, owner of maternity, she reconstructs this continuity as a form of perpetuating her ancestral ties and recreating them here (in Brazil).(Da Silva 2013) All of the toques of Candomble, meaning all of the songs, each have a rhythm, and each rhythm has a name. The Orixa (embodying spirit), or the person who is dancing knows how to dance based on the rhythms that are played, in this way Candomble is aslo a ballet. In a traditional
Candomble people dance barefoot and always with the feet on the ground, because you need to always have a connection with the Earth (Doxum 2012) Candombl at a glance: Candombl is a religion based on African beliefs which is particularly popular in Brazil. It is also practised in other countries, and has as many as two million followers. The religion is a mixture of traditional Yoruba, Fon and Bantu beliefs which originated from different regions in Africa. It has also incorporated some aspects of the Catholic faith over time. A religion which combines elements of many religions is called a syncretic religion. Enslaved Africans brought their beliefs with them when they were shipped to Brazil during the slave trade. The name Candombl means 'dance in honour of the gods'. Practitioners of Candombl believe in one all-powerful God called Oludumar who is served by lesser deities. These deities are called orixas. (They can also be called voduns and inkices.) Candombl practitioners believe that every person has their own individual orixa which controls his or her destiny and acts as a protector. Music and dance are important parts of Candombl ceremonies. Specially choreographed dances are performed by worshippers to enable them to become possessed by the orixas. There is no concept of good or bad in Candombl. Each person is only required to fulfil his or her destiny to the fullest, regardless of what that is. Candombl is an oral tradition and therefore has no holy scriptures. The first official temple was founded at the beginning of the 19th century in Salvador, Bahia in Brazil.(BBC News 2009)
References "TERREIRO: Um vdeo documentrio sobre o Candombl." Perf. Mae Ya Mokumbi, Mae Aiyra Leque. YouTube. YouTube, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.Faria, Lazaro. "A Cidade Das Mulheres." YouTube. YouTube, 14 June 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. A Cidade Das Mulheres. Dir. Lazaro Faria. Perf. Josildeth Consorte, Maria Jose Lopes Da Silva, Vivian Caroline, Maria Stella De Azevedo Santos. YouTube. YouTube, 14 June 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. "Candombl at a Glance." BBC News. BBC, 15 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. CANDOMBL: Quebrando Tabus. Prod. Camila Lazzarotti, Kelly Apuque, Ana Carolina, Nathalia Paulina, Fabiola Sabrina, Simone Diniz, Marcia Rocha, and Rita Cardoso. Perf. Renato Jadner (Onykaya). YouTube. YouTube, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkU0Os0mOVA>. Me Mrcia Doxum Fala Sobre O Candombl (lindo Vdeo). Perf. Me Mrcia Doxum. YouTube. YouTube, 27 June 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
