This seminar looks at the presence of Candomblé terreiros in the Brazilian prison system, highlighting the historical persecution of religions of African origin, which were criminalised at the end of the 19^th century with the enactment of the Penal Code of 1890. Driven by racist “scientific theories”, this situation resulted in a public policy of imprisoning Candomblé practitioners, who were victimised by the state for exercising their liturgies (Oliveira, 2014; Maggie, 2001). While Christian religions, especially Catholicism and, more recently, evangelical segments, were naturalised in prisons, African practises were marginalised. The research is based on the constitutional right to religious assistance (Brasil, 2008) and explores how religion influences inmates' mental health and social interaction, promoting group and family bonds and can contribute to reducing the effects of social isolation.

However, religious intolerance and religious racism (Nogueira, 2020), driven by Christian proselytism, make it difficult to continue offering these liturgies in prisons, as highlighted in a study by Gomes and Lima (2019). The research proposes a reflection on the need to review colonial practises in the prison system, ensuring greater respect for religious diversity and strengthening public policies that ensure secularism. Inspired by the Family History method (Pina-Cabral & Lima, 2001), it aims to understand how religious practises in Candomblé terreiros influence the identity of inmates and their family ties, based on the concepts of social memories (Vásquez, 2001) and Oralitura (Martins, 2003), promoting religious and social resistance and strengthening human rights in the prison context.

Activity as part of the POLICREDOS | Religions and Society working group

Bio note

Djean Ribeiro is a Psychologist (ISP-UFBA), a Specialist in the State and Law of Traditional Peoples and Communities (FDUFBA), a Master in Social Psychology and a PhD candidate in Psychology (ISP-UFBA). He has professional experience in legal psychology, with an emphasis on psychosocial counselling for people in custody, and in clinical psychology, with an emphasis on psychosocial counselling for victims of racism and/or religious intolerance. He was advisory member and coordinator of the Human Rights Commission of the Bahia Regional College of Psychology (2016-2019). His main areas of interest are Justice and Human Rights; the Prison and Socio-Educational System; Children and Adolescents Experiencing Homelessness; Ethnic and Racial Relations; and Traditional Peoples and Communities.

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This activity will be provided through Zoom platform and does not require registration. Participation is limited to the number of places available > https://zoom.us/j/82207533024 | ID:822 0753 3024  | Password:643923

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