2 3 6      F O R U M

Some forms of this mytho‐praxis become visual and digital – hence the myriad of vid-
eos, collages and memes circulating on social networks. The satirical cartoon showing
wild animals living in towns like humans while the latter are locked in their apartments
can be interpreted as a new version of the classic mythological theme of ontological
inversion between humans and non‐humans.
Myth therefore is a dispositive for generating alternative modes of explanation and
action and possible future scenarios in times of radical incertitude.

Roger Canals
Department of Social Anthropology
Faculty of Geography and History
University of Barcelona 08001
Barcelona
Spain
rocanals@ub.edu

Reference
Shalins, M. 1985. Islands of history. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

G I O VA N N A C A P P O N I

Overlapping values: religious and

scientific conflicts during the COVID‐19
crisis in Brazil

The following anthropological reflections revolve around the current religious and
political disputes between Neo‐Pentecostal Churches (which endorsed the current
president, Bolsonaro) and religious minorities like Afro‐Brazilian Candomblé and
Umbanda. Conflicts between the two emerged in the last decades over both mundane
and ethical matters, like access to public space for religious events and regulations over
ritual animal slaughter (Silva 2007).
Since the outset of the COVID‐19 crisis in Brazil, videos and live messages recorded
by Afro‐religious priests and priestesses started to appear on social networks. In these
videos, Afro‐religious authorities gave practical information about sanitary prevention
and social distancing, and some announced the temporary suspension of all public rit-
ual activities. In addition, they suggested hygienic measures like avoiding kissing each
other’s hands (a common form for greeting and asking one’s blessing). Moreover, they

© 2020 European Association of Social Anthropologists.

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endorsed social distancing, insisting on the need to ‘protect our elders’, a reference to
the importance of age hierarchy in Afro‐Brazilian religions. Religious values were thus
used to encourage sanitary prevention habits, adding that the orixás (Afro‐Brazilian
deities of nature) cannot protect us from the danger of an imbalanced world.
Meanwhile, Neo‐Pentecostal churches proposed a very different narrative.
Endorsed by the minimising attitude of the national government in the face of the
pandemic threat, many Evangelical authorities refused to suspend public worship ser-
vices. Famous pastors like Edir Macedo (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God)
and Silas Malafaia (Assembleias de Deus) circulated messages in their blogs and social
networks calling for their followers not to fear the virus, as God would protect those
who have faith. Closing churches down, in their words, would mean a lack of con-
fidence in the divine power. Neo‐Pentecostal churches were also at the centre of a
dispute between President Bolsonaro and the Ministry of Health, as the former argued
that churches need to stay open as they provide essential moral and spiritual support
for Brazilian society.
These different ways of elaborating beliefs and behaviours in times of a pandemic
outbreak can result in interesting observations on the relationship between Western
medical science, media communication and religious values in contemporary Brazil.
While Neo‐Pentecostal churches always displayed a privileged and sophisticated use
of digital media (social networks, TV channels, live streaming sessions, etc.), they are
now stressing the importance of in‐presence attendance of services. They call on the
power of faith to invoke the continuity of social and economic activities. Conversely,
Afro‐religious practitioners, who value bodily engagement and physical presence more
than abstract spiritual commitment, have been long reluctant to occupy online spaces
and to post content online, and this is still a very recent phenomenon. The COVID‐19
crisis allowed them to occupy those online spaces they had avoided in the past, sewing
together social and religious values to promote a pedagogical message, which resonates
with WHO recommendations.

Giovanna Capponi
Département de la recherche et de l’enseignement
Musée du Quai Branly 75343
Paris cedex 07
France
giovanna.capponi@gmail.com

Reference
Silva, V. Gonçalves da. 2007. ‘Neopentecostalismo e religiões afrobrasileiras: significado do ataque aos
símbolos da herança religiosa africana no Brasil contemporâneo’, Mana 13: 207–37.

© 2020 European Association of Social Anthropologists.