Upon their arrival in Brazil after the traumatic Atlantic crossing, enslaved populations from West Africa sought to reconstruct their sacred cultural and spiritual systems within a profoundly hostile environment. Five centuries later, the vitality of terreiros (ritual grounds) across the country bears witness to a living and adaptive religion that continues to evolve while remaining deeply rooted in ancestral traditions. Today, Candomblé is celebrated throughout Brazil and increasingly recognised internationally, far beyond Afro-descendant communities.
This bilingual book, part of the project Candomblé: Sacred Rhythms in Brazil, brings together a curated selection of archival documentation alongside newly commissioned texts and artistic contributions by Iuri Passos, Thiago Martins de Melo, Cici de Oxala, Jose Baptista, Son Gweha, Angela Lühning, Stefania Capone or Arnaud Zohou. Through historical research, essays, and visual materials, it honours this tradition by tracing its foundations while reflecting on its contemporary transformations and future trajectories. By placing past records in dialogue with present-day perspectives, the publication becomes both an archive and a space of reflection on the enduring and evolving nature of Candomblé.
