The Ethic of Love in Umbanda's Pretos-Velhos

Abstract

This study examines interviews conducted with mediums in Umbanda terreiros in São João del-Rei and Montevideo during rituals in which they declared themselves to have incorporated spirits of pretos-velhos. This research is based on oral history methodology and was undertaken between 2017 and 2021. We found that the reports collected maintained a common structure despite the enormous physical distance between the terreiros in the study, starting with narratives of pain and suffering, followed by speeches of resistance, and, finally, concluding with a presentation of values and advice suggestive of the experience of captivity. The statements made by mediums during the two final moments of the interviews (in which they stated having channeled such entities) approximate the concept of non-violent resistance present in the activism of great leaders such as Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We also found that the collective memories currently developed in these temples and many of the values and courses of action of the pretos-velhos are extremely resonant with some aspects of the discourse of the contemporary anti-racist movement, echoing statements made by bell hooks, Emicida, and Paulina Chiziane, for example.