afro-brazilian religions
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Becoming an Ebony Goddess: Why This African-American Woman Competed in an Afro-Brazilian Beauty Pageant
Sheryland Neal wanted to be a Deusa do Ébano—an “Ebony Goddess,” in Portuguese. That’s why Neal, an African American from Atlanta, became the first foreigner to ever compete in the A Noite da Beleza Negra (the Night of Black Beauty) beauty pageant on Saturday, Jan. 20—the premier beauty pageant for Afro-Brazilian women in Brazil—for the…
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The Re-Emergence of the Turbante: A Brazilian Fashion Statement With a Deeply Political History
Just four years ago, Monica Almeida, 34, an Afro-Brazilian woman living in Rio de Janeiro, didn’t identify as a black woman. “When I was an adolescent, I believed in the myth of the mulata (mixed-raced woman). It wasn’t until I was 30 years old and I had already experienced so much racism, read tons of…
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For the Love of God? Evangelical Drug Traffickers Are Terrorizing Practitioners of Afro-Brazilian Religions
Candomblé priestess Carmen Flores was leaving her house three months ago when seven armed men confronted her. They demanded that she destroy the sacred contents of her house, a spiritual home for more than 125 followers of the Candomblé Afro-Brazilian religion. “Since my orisha is Oxum, our house was all about love,” said Flores, 66,…