Carnival presentation brings up the debate about the demystification of Exu; ‘divinity that carries with it deconstruction’.

(Reprodução/Internet)

April 26, 2022

11:04

Priscilla Peixoto – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – With the theme “Fala, Majeté! Sete Chaves de Exu” (in english ‘Speak, Majeté! Seven Keys of Exu’) signed by the carnival artists Gabriel Haddad and Leonardo Bora, the samba school Acadêmicos do Grande Rio, took to Marquês de Sapucaí, on the last 24th, a reference to the various manifestations of Exu. The presentation brought up the debate about the demystification and re-signification of the deity. But after all, what is Exu? And why do most people associate him with the devil?

Xɛ́byosɔnɔ̀n Alberto Jorge Silva explains that Exu is considered the first of the Orixás, the timeless messenger, and makes things happen. “It is a profound definition, because Exu is the first of the created orixás. He can be past, present and future at the same time. By our tradition, he circulates in timelessness, builds, destroys and rebuilds. He brings order, chaos and rearrangement. This is the basic principle”, explains the saint father.

For being a dynamic creature that brings in its figure the phallic symbol, it ended up being syncretized by the absence of “an item corresponding to the saints canonized by the Catholic Church. Besides the phallic issue, Father Alberto points out that the figure of Exu intrigues precisely because it breaks the whole concept established when the subject is divinity. A black being, with human characteristics, carrying with him the deconstruction showing the world in deep ebullition.

Demerson D’alvaro, actor who played Exu, during the Grande Rio parade (Reproduction/Instagram@demersondalvaro)

“Its major representation is in the phallus, the one that sows the ovum and leads life. The author Sérgio Ferretti translates this very well in his book Rethinking Syncretism. They began to correlate the figures of the orixás with the saints, and Exu, for having the penis in his hands as a symbol, did not correlate with the Catholic saints and ended up being linked, according to the Hebraic-Christian culture, to the devil, because of the portrayal of the demons that appear with phalluses. But Exu is not the devil, as many people mistakenly say”, explains Alberto Jorge.

Revising concepts

According to Xɛ́byosɔnɔ̀n, although he is still constantly associated with a dark universe, a new vision has made it possible that this syncretism toward Exu is wrong. According to Pai Alberto Jorge, the considered guardian of all the orixás, is the messenger who can open paths, emanate abundance, prosperity, and be a link between humans and the divinities.

“From a new vision of the church, not in stereotypes, but from a theology and in the hermeneutics itself, both from the African and the Roman Catholic side, it was understood that this syncretism of Exu with Satan is something completely wrong, because if we take the theological and philosophical principle, he should be syncretized with the divine paraclete Holy Spirit, which is the communicator that leads and moves the church and grants gifts,” he reveals.

Alberto Jorge also talks about the representation of the adornments taken to the samba avenue, which reinforce how mistaken the masses’ impression of Exu is.

(Reproduction/Instagram@demersondalvaro)

“The penis, so censored by those who see the image of Exu, is nothing more than the potency and fecundation of life, the cowries as adornment signify all abundance and prosperity, the red and black, in the costumes, show the two sides, night and day, and have nothing to do with Bafhomet. In other words, these concepts have been building for more than 10,000 years, as a current liturgy. We cannot forget that we are dealing with something that comes from an African cradle of humanity. It is uncomfortable for the society that is not used to seeing a version of the creation of the world that is different from what was imposed on us,” he points out.

“Decolonial reading”

Adan Silva, a carnival admirer and scholar of cultural manifestations, PhD in Education and researcher of popular festivities, watched closely the proposal presented by the samba school from Rio de Janeiro. According to the researcher, the initiative of the samba school brings beyond the avenue the possibility of a debate on the theme from a new perspective.

“That enchanted me a lot, seeing the Afro-diasporic culture, especially Exu, beyond this historical junction and bringing a completely decolonial reading. It breaks this Brazilian imaginary that demonizes, because of a power project of the Christian religions and, as a religious dogma, it was not possible to question. It was presented as something sacred, something beautiful in its multiple faces,” says Adan.

Acadêmicos da Grande Rio – Special Group (Reproduction/Carnavalesco Website)