Pretos Velhos across the Atlantic: Afro-Brazilian Religions in Portugal

Abstract

This chapter gives a brief account of how Afro-Brazilian religions have spread in Portugal in the last twenty years, and then moves on to characterize this religious scenario from two different points of view. First, it interprets the way that Afro-Brazilian religious leaders conceptualize their religious work, and how they perceive the organization and function of Afro-Brazilian religions in Portugal, especially concerning healing and the improvement of individual’s well-being. Second, the chapter analyzes it from the perspective of the Portuguese practitioners and consumers of such religions, focusing mainly on how exotic religious alterity is mixed within an ideological repertoire and tool box where such religions appear as a solution for life-crisis situations, where healing, well-being and self-improvement play crucial roles. Keywords:Afro-Brazilian religions; life-crisis; Portugal; self-improvement; well-being