The massive presence of African slaves in Brazil since early Portuguese colonization gave birth to a range of cultural Afro-brazilian practices. One of these is Our Lady of the Rosary’s Reign, popularly known as Congado, a religious tradition in many corners of Brazil. To this day, especially in the state of Minas Gerais, Congado moves hundreds of communities, predominantly black and poor, located in villages and country towns as well as in the outskirts of the big cities. It is a particular form of popular Catholicism, which includes contents inherited from African religious expressions mainly connected to Bantu cultures. It reveals trans-cultural restructuring, a consequence of a history of contacts and conflicts between Europeans and Africans beginning in the 15th century in Africa, and later established in the bosom of the Brazilian brotherhoods by the rules of slavery.

I had the privilege of seeing many perfomances like this in the period in which I lived in Congonhas do Campo city….exciting to see the culture of our country so alive and be part of it….

Photo: Lincon Zarbietti — Journalism student — University of Ouro Preto — Minas Gerais