Latest news with #Candomblé
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Woman accused of being a witch in Brazil can seek asylum in U.S., court rules
A woman who fled Brazil to California with her husband and child after attacks on her minority religion, including an incident in which she said a man held a gun to her head, has a right to seek asylum in the United States, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. U.S. immigration courts had ruled that the threats Silvana De Souza Silva encountered in Brazil amounted to no more than 'discrimination' against her Afro-Brazilian faith, Candomblé, and not to persecution, the legal requirement for political asylum and protection from deportation. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said she had presented evidence that she and her family could face death if they are sent back to Brazil. There is 'ample' evidence 'that the harms and abuses De Souza Silva faced, including harassment, recurring and escalating vandalism, and an armed death threat during a home invasion, caused her to practice Candomblé underground and eventually flee,' the court said in a 3-0 ruling. The evidence also shows that attacks against adherents to the minority faith were common in Brazil, the court said. The court ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider the case, including evidence of attacks on Candomblé practitioners that the immigration judges had disregarded. The ruling was written by Judge Richard Paez, appointed by President Bill Clinton, and joined by Judges Kim Wardlaw, another Clinton appointee, and Carlos Bea, appointed by President George W. Bush. The court's action 'gives hope to all immigrants who have to face hardships, (particularly) in regards to their religion,' said the woman's lawyer, Jose Vergara. The woman declined comment to the Chronicle but said through De Souza Silva that she was happy with the ruling, 'but I still understand that there is a long way to go' before winning asylum. De Souza Silva, 39, lives in Tracy (San Joaquin County) with her husband and their 9-year-old child. Two older children remain in Brazil with De Souza Silva's mother. De Souza Silva began practicing Candomblé as a young teenager, in secrecy from her parents, who were devout Catholics, the court said. According to NPR, the religion originated in West Africa and was brought to Brazil by slaves. Followers of the religion believe in one all-powerful god who is served by lesser deities. The concept of good or evil does not exist, only individual destiny, NPR said. De Souza Silva moved away from home after meeting her future husband and a woman named Simone, both of whom also practiced Candomblé. Then in 2010 several people broke into Simone's home, murdered her father and called everyone there 'witches' and 'sorcerers' who were not welcome in the neighborhood, the court said. De Souza Silva, who lived nearby, soon started seeing graffiti on the walls of her home, saying things like 'this is not the place for you.' She and her husband had difficulty finding work, and their children were harassed at school, the court said. In September 2021, the court said, her husband got a call offering him a job that turned out to be a ruse to get him out of the home. A masked man then broke in, held a gun to her head, and told her, 'Witch, leave this town with your black magic family. This is just a warning. … Next time you won't live to see another day.' After reaching California with her husband and child, De Souza Silva applied for asylum but was rejected by an immigration judge. According to the appeals court, the judge said she had not suffered any lasting physical harm from the death threat, and her claim that her religion had cost her employment opportunities was just 'speculation.' The judge also said she and her family hadn't shown that they would be unable to relocate safely elsewhere in Brazil. The ruling was endorsed by the Board of Immigration Appeals. But the federal appeals court, which hears challenges to rulings by immigration judges, said the judges in De Souza Silva's case had ignored evidence of religious persecution in South America's largest nation. 'As evangelicalism grows in Brazil, its most extreme adherents — often affiliated with gangs — are increasingly targeting Brazil's non-Christian religious minorities,' Paez said in Wednesday's ruling. He said reports of religious-based violence against Afro-Brazilian practitioners increased nearly tenfold between 2016 and 2019. In 2019, Paez said, more than 200 Candomblé temples shut down after receiving threats, twice as many as in 2018. And because the evidence could show that De Souza and her family would face a likelihood of persecution if deported, Paez said, it would be up to the U.S. government to prove that they would be safe elsewhere in Brazil.
The Guardian
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Apes, toilets, conflicts and cowboys: Sony World Photography awards
This is a documentary project, spanning six years and four continents, that explores the fractured relationship between humans and the natural world. Nelson says: 'Kenya's reserves offer the chance to see wild animals in what remains of their natural habitat. In Maasai Mara, tourists engage in colonial fantasies, re-enacting the picnic scene in Out of Africa' The Sony World Photography awards 2025 exhibition is at Somerset House, London, 17 April until 5 May Taking the concept of the Anthropocene, a term for the current period in Earth's history, which is characterised by humans being the dominant influence on the environment, Nelson's series focuses on humanity's response to its impact on the planet. The project looks at artificial spaces, created by humans as a means to 'experience' and interact with nature, from safari parks, nature reserves and resorts, to natural history museums, zoos and green cities This award goes to acclaimed documentary photographer Susan Meiselas. Known for her collaborative approach to portraiture, and for shedding light on lesser-known narratives, Meiselas's work has been instrumental in shaping contemporary documentary practices, and the conversation around participation in photography. More than 60 images by Meiselas, including excerpts from some of her landmark series, are on view as part of the Sony exhibition Candomblé practitioner Samara Souza makes an offering to Yemanjá, the Yoruba deity of the sea waters. Yemanjá's name means 'the mother whose sons are fishes' and she is the most popular orixá in Brazil. Due to syncretism, in Brazil she is represented by an image of a white, skinny woman, while in Africa her image shows a corpulent woman with big milking breasts. M'kumba is an ongoing project that illustrates the resilience of Afro-Brazilian communities in the face of local religious intolerance Some 117 billion humans have gazed at the moon, yet only 24 people – all American men – have seen it up close. During the Covid pandemic, the artist discovered the chance to apply for the ultimate art residency: dearMoon. In 2018, Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa announced a search for eight artists to join him on a week-long lunar mission aboard SpaceX's Starship. In 2021, Rhiannon Adam was chosen as the only female crew member. For three years she immersed herself in the space industry, until Maezawa cancelled the mission Part of the reason the second amendment was written was to ensure that American civilians were sufficiently armed to deal with a British invasion. Yet when Tom Franks knocked on their door and asked – with a British accent – if he could see their guns, have a chat and take their photograph, he was invited straight into the subjects' homes. The photographer spent over two weeks in Prescott, Arizona, visiting residents to learn about the normalisation of gun ownership in the US Making our way home from school is a simple, nostalgic, universal activity that we can all relate to. This project explores the tumultuous public lives of young people in the gang-governed Cape Flats area of Cape Town, South Africa, where their daily commute carries the risk of death. Using handmade, lo-fi experimental techniques, this project explores how young people have to walk to and from school avoiding the daily threat of gang crossfire. It offers a rare insight into this confusing and challenging world In April 2022, Irina Shkoda left Ukraine for France. As a refugee, she entered a culture that was entirely foreign to her, which required her to adapt, to speak a new language, to submit to new rules: to lose parts of herself in order to be accepted. Through this project, she explores her personal experience of hospitality, both given and received Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and its main port, but prioritising its urban, political and economic interests has had a severe impact on a number of endemic species. Two of the most serious problems are linked to trafficking and urban developments into the forest and estuary. The Sacha Rescue Foundation was established to protect wildlife and now receives a large number of species that it aims to return to the wild or transfer to conservation centres. Some arrivals come from illegal trafficking and possession This series follows the inspiring story of four girls from Chad who, in 2019, received scholarships from a Spanish foundation to move to Spain and pursue their dream of becoming professional gymnasts. The girls worked hard throughout their training, with the goal of representing Chad at the Paris Olympic Games 2024. Although they did not qualify, their story has had a transformative impact on their home country, leading to the creation of Chad's first gymnastics federation, which already has five registered clubs Brazil saw its hottest year in 2024. Although the high temperatures affected all regions of the country, three biomes were especially impacted, with drought, fire and deforestation transforming the landscape into apocalyptic scenes. In the Amazon, extreme drought turned some of the world's most powerful rivers into sand deserts. This fuelled forest fires, with 134,979 blazes in the first 11 months of the year. The Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland on the planet, also faced a historic drought due to human activity and the climate crisis This is an urban redevelopment project in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, that involves the design and construction of modern public restrooms that encourages their use. The distinctive buildings are as much works of art as they are a public convenience. These images are part of a larger body of work documenting the architectural aesthetics of these structures in their urban environment India, the world's most populous country, with 1.4 billion people, has only a handful of female skaters. It is here that Shred the Patriarchy comes to life, portraying how – facing prejudice and threats – some women have rebelled, transforming skateboarding into a form of resistance against the patriarchy, through the art of falling and getting back up. Many have managed to avoid arranged marriages, while others have gained financial independence Still Waiting presents collages that capture moments of pause, of waiting. They depict the liminal space between events, a threshold where time seems to stretch and meanings remain unfixed. The juxtaposition of objects within the space leaves room for interpretation, inviting surreal flights of thought. Everything is suspended, held in a fragile equilibrium, where intervention feels imminent 'There is hardly any other country in Europe,' says Toby Binder, 'where a past conflict is still as present in daily life as it is in Northern Ireland.' It is not only the physical barriers – the walls and fences – but also the psychological divisions in society. For many years, Binder has been documenting what it means for young people, all born after the peace agreement was signed in 1998, to grow up under this intergenerational tension in both Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods The musk ox has the exceptional ability to thrive in the most extreme winter weather conditions. This places the magnificent animal among the rare survivors of the last ice age. For several years, Pascal Beaudenon has been observing musk ox during winter in the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella national park in Norway, where they were reintroduced in the 20th century. This series was taken on the Høgsnita massif and shows the behaviour of musk ox as they attempt to save energy, preserve their body heat and protect their young Memories of Dust is a long-term project that explores traditional masculinity in the photographer's home state of Texas, by examining the cowboy and his place in a fast-changing society. The cowboy is a longstanding symbol of North America, and is romanticised as a 'real man', the strong, silent type, lonesome, self-reliant and emotionally distant. As Alex Bex travelled across Texas, spending time on ranches, he learned about the realities, routines and hardships of the cowboy, contrasting them with cultural myth The fragile Wadden Sea is one of Europe's last true wilderness areas. This immense wetland was designated a Unesco world heritage site in 2009, and it was here, in the late 19th century, that modern ecology was born. Today, threatened by the climate crisis, it has become a living laboratory for innovative eco-sustainable practices, as scientists grapple with the pressing challenges of the future Alquimia Textil is a collaborative project undertaken by Nicolás Garrido Huguet and the researcher and fashion designer María Lucía Muñoz, which showcases the natural dyeing techniques practised by the artisans of Pumaqwasin in Chinchero, Cusco, Peru. The project aims to bring visibility to, and help preserve, these ancestral practices, which demand many hours of meticulous work that is often underestimated within the textile sector This project invites viewers to consider what it means for a country to grow, and the advantages and disadvantages linked to that growth, by overlaying archival photographs from the 1940s to 1960s within current scenes of the same location. Early in Japan's period of rapid economic growth from 1945 to 1973, the trade-off for affluence was pollution in many parts of the country. As an island, its land and resource constraints also led to an uneven population distribution
The Guardian
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘We feel the pain but there is also joy': the healing power of diasporic connection
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. In capoeira – an art form whose origins were carried across the Black Atlantic by enslaved people, but which developed and grew into a cultural form of resistance in Brazil – we sometimes wish each other axé (pronounced 'ah-shay'). In doing so, we would be bestowing on our interlocutor life force, vitality or just positive energy in the capoeira roda (circle where capoeira is played) or in life. The term is also used in Candomblé and Umbanda, syncretic afro-Brazilian religions with African roots. For me it also symbolises the ability to harness ancestral knowledge and energy to enrich the jogo (game of capoeira), embodying and paying tribute to those who kept the art form alive. When I lived in Salvador for several months in the early 2000s, I would use the phrase a lot. It resonated with me; it unified me with my family of fellow capoeiras, whose identities found expression in the physical, musical and spiritual aspects of the art. We may have grown up on different laterals of the Black Atlantic, but we could meet and connect with our shared ancestry through the transcendent power of capoeira. I hadn't encountered the term in any other context, until I travelled to Savannah, Georgia, in the Sea Islands or Low country region of the US in September 2023. This was my first visit as programme director of the Legacies of Enslavement programme, an opening step in understanding how the Guardian could atone for its founders' involvement in transatlantic enslavement. We were participating in a Slaves in the City walking tour of Savannah, led by Sistah Patt Gunn, a Gullah Geechee elder and purveyor of an abundance of 'axé'. I was overwhelmed to hear the word used during a theatrical reenactment that formed part of the tour. Looking back, I am not sure why I was so surprised. 'Àṣẹ' is a Yoruba term that can be used and understood in various contexts including to refer to divine power/energy and its manifestation, spirituality and light. It travelled with us, wherever we were enslaved. Across the Americas and Caribbean, where you will still find it in various iterations. I had found a valuable fragment, an ancestral connection, to a place I had never been to before, via my own attachment to Brazil. —------ Savannah, Georgia, US. A city that receives 17 million visitors a year, who soak in its southern charm and historic sites. Few of these visitors seek out the unhidden histories of the enslaved people transported along the Savannah River, or those skilled blacksmiths who built the Freemasons' Hall and adorned its surrounding ironwork with Adinkra symbols, or understand the true significance of the oldest town square where enslaved people were bartered and sold, which has no markers of this history. This is what I learned about on Sistah Patt's tour. And when I asked her, she explained that Gullah Geechee people use the term 'axé' to mean 'all will be well'. —--- The Black Atlantic. This work has really awakened in me a sense of how much connections across the diaspora, and back to the mother continent, mean to those of us who want to repair the structural, psychological and moral harm that chattel slavery represents. There are intricate, interlocking ties between people of African descent reaching over, under and through the Atlantic Ocean, but also continuing beyond, and arcing around the world again. The programme is traversing these intra- and interconnections. Moving from the Sea Islands of the US, it is engaging with descendant communities in Jamaica, in Manchester in the UK and also carrying out further research on Brazil to uncover more about the cotton trading connections of Guardian founders there. New cultures, politics, religions and countries have been created through the trafficking and enslavement of our ancestors. We feel the pain. But there is also joy to be found. It has been clear from the hundreds of conversations we have had – at community level, with civil society organisations, campaigners and institutions – that centring this joy, reforging those ancestral connections, piecing together the ritualistic, linguistic, culinary, spiritual fragments of our forced displacement is part of repair. And perhaps particularly so for those of us living diasporically in non-Black-majority countries. This is by no means the only common theme that has emerged. A desire to be able to create generational wealth is another critical one, which in itself is existential. The objectives of the programme are to atone for the Guardian's history, but also to share information and to raise consciousness of the realities and legacies of transatlantic enslavement. Two years after the programme was launched, we are still working through an engagement process to understand how the Guardian can make amends for its history, from the perspective of descendant communities. Then we must meet the challenge of identifying how the programme can respond. So far, on the theme of diasporic connections, we have launched the Long Wave newsletter as a specific way to share news and stories about people of African descent globally. We have written about topics such as carnival and the hair industry, and covered cultural highlights across the Black diaspora. From the feedback we have received, it is clear that you value feeling connected and introduced to a wider community. We have also announced a partnership with the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester to launch an exhibition in early 2027 on the city's ties to cotton and enslavement. An important part of that will be highlighting the contributions of the Gullah Geechee people of the Sea Islands region in the US, and enslaved people in Brazil to creating the wealth that transformed Greater Manchester through cotton manufacturing. And involving Manchester's Black African and Caribbean populations, and their own histories, in shaping the exhibition. And we have the opportunity and privilege to seek to go further. To locate and venerate those valuable fragments of our shared heritage. To hold them up to the light. And as a capoeira, I would like us to make a roda, a circle nestled on top of the triangle. And let it be filled with axé.
