Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Theologies: Reinterpreting Afro-Diasporic Devotions at the Crossroads of a Decolonizing Epistemology

Contemporary Afro-Brazilian theologians challenge Western stigmatizations of their divinities by reinterpreting historically marginalized devotions through antiracist and decolonial lenses. In Candomblé and Umbanda, the reimagining of Exu and Pombagira decolonizes theological, anthropological, sociological, and pedagogical discourses, emphasizing their polysemic nature. In this presentation I explore how these devotions function as liberating narratives that empower marginalized communities, sacralizing their survival, independence, and resistance within Afro-theological frameworks.

For Rita Segato, Afro-Brazilian religious traditions can be characterized into two groups: those centered on spirits rather than deities and those focused on devotion to the Orixás. The latter, most closely connected to African traditions, revolve around the worship of African deities within a structured pantheon and mythology. She notes that these traditions vary regionally: Tambor de Mina in São Luís do Maranhão and Belém do Pará, Xangô worship in Recife, Candomblé in Bahia (also present in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), and Batuque in Porto Alegre.This contrasts with other Afro-Brazilian religious traditions that focus on spirits rather than deities. These spirits include Indigenous figures (Caboclos), enslaved Black ancestors (Pretos Velhos), and historical figures such as ruffians and sex workers (Exús and Pombagiras). These traditions range from those with African roots to more syncretic forms, such as Jurema and Toré in Recife and João Pessoa, Candomblé de Caboclo in Bahia, and Macumba in Rio de Janeiro. For Segato, Umbanda functions as a common ground, blending elements from various Afro-Brazilian religious traditions.

One devotion that appears in most of these religious traditions is to the Orixá Exu. According to Afro-theologian Hendrix Silveira, a specialist in Religious Studies and Afro-Brazilian History and Culture, the cult of Exu is present in most African traditions. Exu is the messenger of the other Orixás, taking human prayers and bringing blessings to humans. He is also the divinity of procreation (Afroteologia 313). Hendrix contends that Exu is a primordial Orixa and the dynamic principle of communication, individuation, and existence in Yorùbá theology. He carries axé (vital force), enabling transformation, destiny, and the unfolding of all potentialities—natural, human, and divine. Èṣù serves as a mediator between humans and the orixás, symbolizing interconnection, sexuality, and fertility. His role aligns with the Thomistic concept of essence, ensuring that everything realizes its full potential and true nature (“Exunêutica” 5). 

Historically, Exu has been stigmatized as the Christian devil’s counterpart, leading to the condemnation of his worship and the persecution of his devotees since colonial times. Stefania Capone explains that colonial inhabitants invoked spirits for both good and evil, reinterpreting Exu as a mischievous yet helpful spirit, shaped by Spiritist beliefs about the dead. This fusion gave rise to Rio de Janeiro’s Macumba, blending African, Indigenous, and Iberian traditions. Macumba reframed European beliefs through an African perspective, reconfiguring the Christian devil into a figure more aligned with the African Exu. In the early 20th century, Umbanda sought to reclaim Macumba’s spiritual power while officially distinguishing itself from its perceived ties to an “uneducated” and “backward” Africa.

For Capone, Umbanda’s common structure as the veneration of spirits organized into seven lines, each led by an Orixá or Catholic saint, and subdivided into phalanxes of disincarnated spirits. The Orixás do not manifest directly but work through spirits who offer consultations via mediums. Exu, the Orixá preserved from African tradition, holds a key role in Umbanda centers, where his shrine is placed at the entrance, and his despacho ritual is performed in more Africanized spaces (76)  

Pombagira, emerging from Umbanda as the female counterpart of Exu, is characterized by her dual nature and often negatively associated with witchcraft and black magic. While some sources, like Aluízio Fontanelle (O espiritismo no conceito das religiões e a lei da Umbanda, 1952) depicts her as an embodiment of evil and revenge, others, such as Antônio de Alva, trace her origins to Bantu Candomblé, linking her to the Yoruba Exu. Pombagira has been interpreted as both the feminine Exu and as a symbol of rebellion against male domination, frequently invoked in love magic and embodying the stereotype of the prostitute (Exu: génio do bem e do mal 1984) (84). Pombagiras, like Exus, are hierarchically ranked, with Maria Mulambo at the lowest level and Maria Padilha as the most refined. Monique Augras (1989) describes Pombagira as a subversive, sensual, and aggressive figure, possibly linked to the Bantu deity Bombogira. Her association with Exu reflects a broader re-Africanization process, as spirits transition from Umbanda to Candomblé. Capone highlights how initiates reinterpret Pombagira within Candomblé’s pantheon, transforming her from a disembodied soul into an intermediary divinity, reconciling contradictions and reinforcing her Africanized identity.

In this presentation, I will introduce three examples of how contemporary Afro-theologians are challenging colonial legacies by reframing the devotions to Exu and Pombagira through decolonial and feminist perspectives. First, I will explain how Hendrix Silveira (2012, 2024) reinterprets Exu as Hermes, the Greek messenger god, and develops exunêutica—an Afro-religious alternative to hermeneutics—to center Black epistemologies in interpreting the world. Second, I will address educator Luis Rufino’s Pedagogia das Encruzilhadas (pedagogy of the crossroads), which integrates Ifá traditions into pedagogy, presenting Exu as a disruptor of intellectual arrogance, guardian of communal commitments, and embodiment of language and unpredictability, making him central to educational approaches that resist cognitive and social injustices. Similarly, I will present the work of Alexandre Cumino’s Pombagira A Deusa: Mulher Igual Você (2023) and how this Umbanda theologian reinterprets the devotion to Pombagira through Black feminist thought, portraying her as a divine figure symbolizing women’s self-empowerment and resistance. By linking the sacred feminine to gender and class consciousness, Cumino highlights Pombagira as the voice of oppressed women, challenging patriarchal, racist, and sexist structures while fostering a commitment to decolonial and social justice struggles.