CRMA-RJ Mapping

The Rio de Janeiro African Matrix Religious Houses Mapping Research seeks to discover the quantity of Candomblé and Umbanda grounds to viabilitate the construction of effective Public policies that benefit this religious segment and its strengthening in the fight for religious freedom through the construction of a PEACE culture creating mechanisms of defense against these rights violation frequently suffered by African matrix religious houses, comprehended as systemic, orchestrated and absolutely strategic while racism practice with economical and political finalities.

This project is the first materialization of the desired integration between actual social movements , their territorialities, contents and practices already worked on past researches through the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Environment – in Portuguese, NIMA – and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Afro-descendant Memory and Reflection – NIREMA/PUC-Rio. Its big innovation is the construction of a quantitative documental base through a systematic fieldwork so the base may be mapped using Global Positioning System – GPS - technology , that will enable different lectures on human territoriality integrated to its correspondent landscape.

Click to visualize the Rio de Janeiro’s African Matrix Religious Houses Mapping

Partcipate

The research consists in a previous scheduled visit by the field coordinators of a researcher to each Ground which must proceed the application of a questionnaire to raise the main data of that religious house to integrate the Project’s database. Then it is asked for the questioned houses to indicate other houses for the research.

Participate. If your house has not yet been mapped or contacted  by our technical staff, please call or get in touch with the NIMA.

The Griot Council history

Through all the contry’s cultural and religious formation process, the Grounds have functioned as preservation centres  of afro-brazilian culture, keeping alive, through its resistance, big part of ancestral practices reminiscent of the African Diaspora. In this way, yalorixás, babalorixás, priests and spiritual drivers had a predominant role in maintaining this culture acting as brave warriors in defense of their ancient traditions, nowadays perpetuated in the whole national territory. In May 2008, the Griot Council has been formed, composed by fourteen religious authorities, seven from Candomblé and seven from Umbanda, seeking to give support to the research and to orientate the academy (PUC-Rio) and the public power (SEPPIR) in the construction of this work by following and deliberating in all its elaboration. The Griot Council was fundamental to this Project’s success.

Griot Council:

Contact

Interdisciplinary Centre for Afro-descendant Memory and Reflection – NIREMA

PUC-Rio Marquês de São Vicente R., 225 Directories Villa, house 18
Gávea - Rio de Janeiro - RJ CEP: 22451-900

Telephones: (0-xx-21) 3527-1921/3527-1922

Staff

Project Coordinators

• Prof.Dr. Denise Pini Rosalem da Fonseca
• Prof.Dr. Sônia Maria Giacomini
• Prof.Dr. Luiz Felipe Guanaes Rego

Field Coordinators

• Adailton Moreira
• Babá Egbé do Ilê Omi Ojuarô
• Flavia da Silva Pinto
• Babá da Casa do Perdão

Researchers

• Alainaldo Onofre Cardoso
• Alessandra Pereira
• Ana Paula Bacelar
• André Meireles
• Angelica Ferrarez de Almeida
• Bruna Machado Mathias
• Camila Camelo
• Camila de Souza Ferreira
• Fabiane Vieira
• Joyce Barros
• Manoel Artur S. Torres
• Maria Fernanda
• Nubia Santos
• Sílvia Célia de Sousa
• Thales Vieira
• Wendel Santos de Matos
• Vinicius Santos Costa
• Lucia Helena
• Luciane dos Santos Ribeiro

Geoprocessing

• Leonardo Gnatalli Geographer