Mãe Menininha do Gantois : estratégias políticas e mídia da religião (1967-1986)

Abstract

It is common knowledge that since the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the religious spaces of the African sacred in Brazil have been persecuted by the State and its legal institutions. Based on this fact, African culture and religiosity were repressed to the detriment of white European culture based on the catholic religion. In the history of Brazil, there were important characters who were responsible for resisting this cultural and police repression in different ways. Mãe Menininha do Gantois was one of these who actively acted in the fight against repression and prejudice against religions of African origin. In addition, it was one of the pioneers in defending the dissemination and appreciation of African culture. However, the diplomatic way in which she defended Candomblé, conquering space through her alliances, associated with the exploitation of her image, which made her stand out among the other mothers of saint. In this way, through a bibliographic and investigative study, supported by diverse historical sources (iconography, photographs, magazines, and periodicals), the present work aims to investigate the image policy elaborated by and around Mãe Menininha do Gantois, mainly between the 1960s and 1986, seeking to understand how political, cultural, and social aspects influenced its trajectory. In addition, the work seeks to explain why Mãe Menininha was considered, as described in the sources, the first “mother of saint pop in Brazil”, using testimonies from people close to her, as well as historical sources that portrayed the size of its influence and all that it represented. Still, it is important to emphasize that to understand the way Mãe Menininha was consolidated, it is essential to understand the entire context of formation and foundation of her terreiro, as well as the path she followed to reach this level of worldwide recognition. Because of this, based on the discussions and arguments presented, I argue that Mãe Menininha was wise and sagacious in her game of skill between diplomacy and resistance, since she formed powerful alliances, conquered social influence, and let her image be used to reach occupied spaces. by the elite, to spread and defend the religions of African origin.