This is a wonderful book about Quimbanda, which, like most religions originating from the Kongo, is very misunderstood. The diabolic imagery associated with Exu and Pomba Gira is enough to cause Christians of all stripes to fly into a panic. In reality, these spirits are neither good nor evil and serve a variety of functions related to traditional African magic in Brazil.

Exu and Pomba Gira were syncretized with the Devil and the Whore of Babylon on purpose, as a symbol of black resistance to racism and the Brazilian white middle class. By associating their traditional spirits with the enemies of white Christendom, former slaves were able to intimidate their oppressors while simultaneously viewing their traditional beliefs through a lens of power. Blood sacrifice is involved with this tradition, as it is in all religions that originate from Africa (with the exception of Umbanda, which involves very little, if any, animal sacrifice). The blood of animals provides sustenance for the spirits of the ancestors, and Quimbanda was a religion that was forged in the bloody history of the Atlantic slave trade.

Diego de Oxossi's lineage of Quimbanda was rather revolutionary, as his cabula was the first to devote a branch of practice entirely to Exu and Pomba Gira, who were previously considered to be "inferior" to the Orixa spirits of Batuque, Umbanda, and Candomblé. In doing so, Mãe Ieda de Ogum forged a black Brazilian religion that was not subservient to anyone, including the increasingly white middle class practitioners of spiritism and Umbanda. The worship of Exu was now carried out into the streets rather than into closets or backrooms, as was fitting for a spirit that was traditionally considered to be a patron of malandros and marginalized people.

This religion is fascinating and powerful, and I definitely want to learn more about it. Diego de Oxossi's presentation of this tradition is original and thorough, and it's a great starting resource for anyone interested in Quimbanda or Brazilian religion in general.