“O raio de Iansã sou eu!” um olhar sobre a presença das religiões afro-brasileiras nas canções de Maria Bethânia

Abstract

Religious practices of African origin and Afro-Brazilian religions with all their cultural and social complex are rooted in the cultural and human formation of the Brazilian people, based on the process of the African diaspora that occurred between the 16th and 19th centuries, when different African peoples were brought brutally to Brazil, where they were enslaved. The religious and cultural legacy built by African women and people of African descent was and still is the object of persecution, intolerance, the most diverse forms of violence, prejudice and discrimination. Brazilian popular music is a privileged space for us to undeniably feel and perceive the presence of African heritage among us. Several singers and musical groups bring different elements of Afro-Brazilian religious traditions into their work. Considering here only the women of our MPB, I highlight Clementina de Jesus, Clara Nunes, Dona Ivone Lara, Elza Soares, Bete Carvalho, Maria Bethânia, Mariene de Castro, Daniela Mercury, among many others. In this work I will seek to show and analyze the elements of Afro-Brazilian traditions present in Maria Bethânia's music. Considering the size of his musical work, I selected six songs from his vast repertoire to analyze. The research is descriptive and bibliographic in nature, within the scope of Empirical Sciences of Religion. In the end, I intend to demonstrate that Maria Bethânia's work brings a cry of struggle and contributes to the appreciation and strengthening of Afro-Brazilian religions.