Brazil’s Candomblí© High Priestess Dies in Bahia, at Age 80

Mãe de santo Olba de AlaketuRespected and renowned Afro-Brazilian high  priestess (mãe de santo)  Olga de Alaketu, who royal ancestor were brought to Brazil as slaves, died September 29, at the age of 80, in Salvador, capital of the northeastern state of Bahia.

The death occurred in the Sagrada Famí­lia Hospital where she had been taken due to complications of diabetes. The ialorixá was the fifth generation of the princess Otampê Ojarô, from  Ketu, in the Western Africa’s Benin. Ojarô had been brought to Brazil as slave in the 18th Century.

Olga was born September 9, 1925, and took over as the spiritual leader of the terreiro at age 23. This was an unusual choice since these leadership posts are almost always given to much older people with years of experience. She married José Cupertino Barbosa, with whom she had six children.

Her temple, or terreiro as they are known in Brazil, was called Ilê Maroiá Láji. It was located in the Brotas neighborhood and was visited by several personalities including late writer Jorge Amado, French ethnologist Pierre Verger,  singer Maria Bethânia and singer-composer and current Culture Minister, Gilberto Gil.

The place, which is believed to have been built in 1636,  was declared a national heritage site earlier this year by the Brazilian Culture Ministry.

According to Brazilian anthropologist Yeda Castro, ialorixá Olga de Alaketu was the African-Brazilian religious leader who preserved the most the iorubá language. She was the high priestess of the Alaketu Terreiro for 57 years.  

Mãe (mother) Olga, as she was also known, helped bridge the distance between candomblé and Catholicism. Her friendship with abbot Timóteo Amoroso Anastácio of the São Bento Monastery of Salvador brought forth the so-called "Hill Mass," which used African instruments like atabaques, berimbaus and agogôs. The practice, however, was never accepted by the more traditional sectors of the Brazilian catholic church.  

Olga also got lots of respect from Brazilian politicians and the federal government. She received medals and merit badges in the administrations of former-presidents General Ernesto Geisel; General João Batista Figueiredo, the last military president and Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

Candomblé faithfuls, gathered in terreiros often on Friday nights, sing and dance while incorporating spirits in hours-long ceremonies, which may involve the sacrifice of animals.

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazilian Indians Get a Hawaii in Land But May Go to War Between Themselves

It’s been a year since the Brazilian Supreme Court awarded definitive ownership (homologação) of ...

Jittery World Market Drags Brazil’s Bovespa 3.5% Down

The Bovespa, São Paulo, Brazil's stock exchange, worried at the worsening situation of the ...

Brazil’s Embraer Hands JetBlue First of 101 Jets

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer delivered today its first Embraer 190 to American airline JetBlue ...

Favela in Rio, Brazil

Slavery Is Alive in Brazil While People Keep Living in Favelas and Streets

Overshadowed by the Pope’s visit to Brazil, the 119th anniversary of the Abolition of ...

Brazil Has Second Consecutive Month of Deflation

Brazil’s General (Market) Price Index (Àndice Geral de Preços – Mercado) (IGP-M) showed deflation ...

A Plan to End Foot and Mouth Disease from All Americas

American countries should approve soon a plan to terminate foot and mouth disease on ...

Brazil’s Furniture Industry Revises 2008 Growth Projection from 5% to 2.5%

Companies from Brazil that took part in the Index, the leading trade fair for ...

Brazil Trade Balance Surplus Falls 64%

The trade balance surplus (exports minus imports) in April was US$ 1.744 billion, according ...

Foreign Capital Jumps Ship in Brazil

Latin American equities witnessed a heavy sell-off, strongly led by Brazilian shares, as foreign ...

Brazil Goes to Russia and Middle East in Search of Fertilizers

Brazil's Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Reinhold Stephanes, is planning an international delegation ...