CANDOMBLÉ: KEEPING YORUBA ALIVE IN Brazil!
Linguistic and other forms of cultural genocide are an all too familiar theme for African-descendants in the West. Speaking a European language is often perceived as a civilising feature. In Brazil, however, Africans have maintained the knowledge, both verbal and written, of their Yoruba language through the practice of Candomblé. Unhappy with the dictates of colonial rule, which went as far as prohibiting the expression of African religious worldviews, the enslaved substituted the names of their Orixás (Yoruba deities) for those of Catholic Saints. The fusion of religious practices allowed Africans to disguise their true veneration. While the religion underwent some changes to ensure its survival, its core message and manifestation never altered. This is the origin of Candomblé, a spiritual-religious practice giving reverence to, and communicating between, life and death, earth and cosmos, and the supreme universal power. Priestesses, priests and followers speak Yoruba during religious ceremonies. Similarities between Candomblé and local religious beliefs facilitated a cohesive co-existence between Africans and Indigenous peoples in Brazil.
