La Milagrosa: visual essay about afro-cuban syncretism rituals and aesthetics

Authors

  • Rui Mourão PhD student in Art Studies, Universidade Nova Lisboa, Portugal.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2525-3123.gis.2018.142532

Keywords:

Santeria, Ritual, Afro-Cuban, Syncretism, Visual Anthropology

Abstract

A cross between video art and visual anthropology, the video LA MILAGROSA focuses on the Santeria universe, which is a religious syncretism between African deities and Catholicism originated in Cuba from enslaved Afro-descendant populations, according to intertwined assimilation processes and colonial power resistance, lingering after the political independence, even in an officially atheist context. By witnessing the Ioruba mythology perpetuation, the visual essay takes us through santera's rituals and domestic altars, revealing a vast and symbolic pantheon of African tribal gods represented by saints, street corners, objects and colours present in several elements (for example, flowers, fabrics, sweets, candles, woods, bead necklaces, etc.). The narrative later opens itself to Catholic typology public spaces that became iconic for the practice of Santeria: the Cristóval Colón (Christopher Columbus) cemetery and the San Lázaro (Saint Lazarus) sanctuary.

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Author Biography

  • Rui Mourão, PhD student in Art Studies, Universidade Nova Lisboa, Portugal.

    Rui Mourão (1977, Lisboa) studied Arts (UAB+CECC, Barcelona; Maumaus, Lis- bon; Malmö Art Academy, Malmö-Sweden). He holds a graduate degree in Digital Visual Cultures and a Master’s degree in Anthropology (both from ISCTE, Lisbon). He is a PhD candidate in Artistic Studies at Universidade Nova, Lisbon). He makes video art and was selected for LOOP – Video Art Festival (Barcelona) and for FUSO – The Video Art International Annual of Lisbon, where he received the Audience Award, 2010. He presented a film at Portuguese Cinematheque (nominee for Best Documentary in Queer Lisboa Cinema Festival – 2013). He did art residencies, performances, conferences, wrote papers, two books (one of individual and another of collective authorship). He had more than 50 ex- hibitions presented in 16 countries (ex: Spaces, Cleveland; Iklectik Art-Lab, Lon- don; MNAC, Lisbon; Palazzo Albrizzi, Venice; National Museum of Ethnography Museu Nacional de Etnologia, Lisboa; Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlim).

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Published

2018-07-23

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2018)

Section

Gesture, image and sounds

License

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How to Cite

Mourão, Rui. 2018. “La Milagrosa: Visual Essay about Afro-Cuban Syncretism Rituals and Aesthetics”. GIS - Gesture, Image and Sound - Anthropology Journal 3 (1). https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2525-3123.gis.2018.142532.