Njila, o senhor dos caminhos: Exu no Candomblé Angola em Aracaju Sergipe

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the manifestations and meanings of the cult of Exu in Candomblé Angola in Sergipe, based on the case study of the Nzo Águas da Penha terreiro, located in the Santa Maria neighborhood, in the city of Aracaju. Originally conceived as a comparative study between Candomblé and Umbanda, the work was reoriented due to field conditions, focusing empirically on Candomblé Angola and using Umbanda as a theoretical comparative reference. The research problem guiding the investigation is: how is the cult of Exu manifested and signified in Candomblé Angola in Aracaju-Sergipe, and how does this manifestation dialogue or create tensions with the representations of Exu in Umbanda as described in the specialized bibliography? The central hypothesis argues that, in Candomblé Angola, Exu is not primarily understood as an entity but as a relational cosmological principle called Njila or Pambu Njila, which operates as a condition of possibility for movement, communication, and existence itself, while its manifestation as catiço represents a layer of mediation closer to the human realm. The research is theoretically grounded in the anthropology of religion, engaging with the studies of Roger Bastide, Reginaldo Prandi, Vagner Gonçalves da Silva, Stefania Capone, and Marcio Goldman. The methodology is qualitative and ethnographic, based on participant observation carried out over approximately two years at the researched terreiro and on semi-structured interviews with three subjects, all faithful members of the Candomblé Angola terreiro Nzo Águas da Penha: the religious leader Mam’etu Monaciledomim (Jaciara Chagas); the priest Kumlenbelê (Robert), Tat'etu de Nkisi; and the daughter of the house Kafilandeji (Sara), Mam'etu de Nkisi. The analysis of the empirical material is organized into three chapters, corresponding to the three specific objectives: the cosmovision of Candomblé Angola and the structural place of Njila; the religious trajectories and different modes of relationship with the mediating entities; and the dialogues and tensions between the cult of Exu in Candomblé Angola and in Umbanda. The results indicate that the Candomblé Angola of Nzo Águas da Penha preserves a relational ontology in which Exu, as a principle of movement, is not reduced to binary moral categories of good and evil, unlike the process of moralization observed in Umbanda. The research also highlights the centrality of female ancestry and the reemergence of the feminine principle of Exu through the Pombagiras, especially Maria Padilha, who leads the mediating entities in the house. It concludes that Candomblé Angola in Sergipe, far from being extinct or forgotten, persists in a guarded manner, remaining alive through networks of oral transmission, ritual practices, and daily resistance to religious racism.