Introduction
Candomble is an oral tradition that can be classified as an Afro-American religious tradition. It was first brought on to Brazil from Africa in the 16th century during the times of slavery and although Christianity institutions have fought to abolish this practice, it has thrived mainly in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela with as many as two million devotees. Although it originated first in West Africa, once its exposure to Latin America, Candomble soon developed into a syncretism religion by blending and borrowing ideas of Roman Catholicism, indigenous American traditions, and Islamic-linked ideas (Sansi, 2011). This transnational religion is an example of continuity by not only thriving in a present continent dominated by Catholicism and Christianity but by also surviving through the harsh colonialism times back in the 16th century and syncretism by evolving into a new religion compromised of newly adopted practices (Sansi, 2011). It can also be argued that Candomble is a representation of syncretism which transpired as a result of the cultural interaction between the Africans and the Europeans. Even though Candomble does not use any Holy Scripture like other religions, the oral tradition has continued to remain strong after its formation.
Background Information
The African who were transported by Portuguese to Brazil between 17th and 19th century through slave trade came with many philosophies and cultures. Even so, most of these spiritual beliefs came to a halt shortly after their arrival. The owners of the slaves, as well as the church leaders, encouraged the Africans to convert to Christianity to satisfy their religious and moral duties (Myers, 2014). This was somehow effective since Catholicism became a significant religion for the slaves. Candomble was once isolated and hidden. It was not accepted in Brazil. Most people had the preconception about it since the African culture in which the religion was rooted was not accepted in Brazil.For an extended period, the practitioners of Candomble would lie to the government that they were Roman Catholics if in the real sense they were not. This was a way that they would protect themselves from persecution. However, almost three years ago after the fall of the military dictatorship, the activist groups supporting the Afro Brazilian culture saw the need of fronting Afro-Brazilian culture instead of hiding it or cowering in the shadows. As a result, the Afro-Brazilian started to fight for their rights and condemn the society for the religious intolerance which highly affected their existence. In the new era, the Afro-Brazilian religions hold their festivals openly and not as hidden as it was before (Candomble." Religion Facts.com, 2016).
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For some time now, Candomble has influenced the Brazilian artists and shaped compositions for several musicians. Only past few years, Candomble was struggling to get recognition in other forums. Just like Santeria in Cuba, Candomble is syncretic since it has got some of its elements represented in the Catholic practices. For example, the Catholic Saints reflect the orixas. Dance and music are crucial elements in the Candomble religion and partake in almost all of its celebrations, hence its meaning "dance in honour of the gods'. These elements are crucial in the ceremonies since it allows the followers to be possessed by their deities through the elements of music and dance (Selka, 2010). The tradition is a polytheistic religion but does have one supreme god above all their other gods, the chief god Olodumare (Olorun) which is believed to have been the creator of all their other gods.
Theories & Analysis
The Islamic influence on the syncretic practice may seem odd, but it ties in with slaves that were at first transported to Brazil at a time that the Islamic religion was thriving, for that same reason, it was quite common during the slavery era. The most obvious song of influence is that of similar holy days and Fridays being set off as a worship day the same as it would be in the Muslim faith for prayer days (Sansi, 2011). Apart from the Islam religion, the Christians compelled the African into Christianity by all possible means. Even so, while there was fear that the persecutions against Africans would make them succumb to the new religion that Whites imposed on them, some of the Africans sought to connect amongst them and stick to their cultures. For example, the Africans from Bantu descent found some similarities with another system of worship amongst the indigenous Brazilians. The connection played a major role in making the Africans learn of other forms of worship from other people, and as a result, they merged their religious cultures to form new religions.
Although some of these religions died, Candomble continues to persist amongst other religions as one of the oral traditions which were created by the displaced slaves. Many Africans, therefore, appeared to adhere to the new religions that were imposed on them while they remained devoted practitioners of their religion, Candomble (Sansi, 2011). In its early development stages, Africans living in Brazil as slaves appeared to have changed to Catholicism while in the real sense they secretly practiced Candomble.
One of the reasons of keeping both the two religions was because there were similarities between the deities and the Catholic Saints but because they feared persecution, they concealed the symbols of their gods behind the Catholic Saints. The Africans believed that the only way to minimize oppression and to assimilate into the new society they had gotten into was to be faithful to the Catholic religion partially. Unfortunately, this did not go smoothly for the Africans since when the slave owners got to know of the existence of Candomble, the slave owners formed strong movements to erase the convictions of the Candomble faithful. Most often, the Africans who followed the practice faced many trials. Catholics considered Candomble as incomprehensible and ungodly, and as a result, they often attacked most of the African-Brazilian churches (Sansi, 2013).
The Catholic Church saw Candomble as a threat, therefore banned the tradition, and persecuted those that were found practicing it. However, the religion was able to maintain its continuity through secret practices. Another reason Candomble persevered after its persecution was that followers noticed the similarity in their deities to the Catholic saints and managed to hide deities inside the Catholic saint that it would most likely resemble. Right away, one can see how these secret actions hiding away through catholic means can also lead to a blending of religious ideas with Catholicism; it is almost an inevitable syncretism.
Because Candomble is a religion brought on by slaves during slave times, devotees of today not just simply follow it because of their religious beliefs but also because of the identity that their slave ancestors were denied and persecuted after. It is a way to reclaim their freedom and honor their past sacrifices (Selka, 2010). Today in modern Latin America, Candomble demonstrates a transnational continuity perspective through its numbers of followers. However, due to its Catholicism syncretism, Candomble comprises of Catholic saint's imagery corresponding to Candomble gods, and today this is a controversial topic. The argument is that by using catholic shrines, the religion loses its foundation and origin and instead becomes corrupted, a syncretic religion in other words. The result is a movement to halt the use of Catholic shrines to return the faith to its original foundation.
Conclusion
At its essence, Candomble is polytheistic whereby its members' believe in a chief god and other smaller divinities. The primary god, Olorun, also known as Oludumare is said to be served by the lesser deities, the orixas. Orixas is a concept derived from the Yoruba Culture. This transnational religion is an example of continuity by not only thriving in a present continent dominated by Catholicism and Christianity but by also surviving through the harsh colonialism times back in the 16th century and syncretism by evolving into a new religion compromised of newly adopted practices. The recent movement to remove Catholic imagery within the religion demonstrates the active engagements in practice and how it is well and alive today, and that it is a syncretic religion.
References
"Candomble." ReligionFacts.com. 28 Oct. 2016. Web. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.
Myers, S. (2014). Transnationally Rooted Practices of Candomblé in Toni Morrison's Paradise. Souls, 16(1-2), 110-118.
Sansi, R. (2011). Images and persons in candomblé. Material Religion, 7(3), 374-393.
Sansi, R. (2013). Encountering Images in Candomblé. Visual Anthropology, 26(1), 18-33.
Sansi, R. (2011). Shrines, substances, and miracles in Afro-Brazilian Candomblé. Anthropology & Medicine, 18(2), 271-283.
Selka, S. (2010). Morality in the religious marketplace: Evangelical Christianity, Candomblé,
and the struggle for moral distinction in Brazil. American Ethnologist, 37(2), 291-307.
