17 - Communiquer le sacré
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Patricia de Aquino
When Candomble, an Afro-Brazilianreligion, grabs hold of the media
Le Temps des médias n°17, Automne 2011, p. 100-110.
For a very long time, rites of sacrifice and possession, which characterize Candomble, have been stigmatized in Brazilian society. It is through a tense process that Candomble has gained its religious legitimacy, over a relatively short historical period of time – one century – and with the emergence of the mass media. Actually, the relationships between the Candomble wor- shippers and the media are complex and ambivalent as they are based on antagonisms and factors of recognition, which depend on historical periods and situations: broadcasting of music with Afro-Brazilian religious background such as samba, publication of photo-reportages with sensational purposes, rehabilitation of traditions through movies… This article is set out to review diachronic and dynamic aspects on how the media are taken over by religious actors from local newspapers to internet social networks. The evolution of their strategy of visibility, their selective ways of production and their methods of reception will be particularly explored.