by Michael Hone
Candomblé faithful protest on Wednesday
SALVADOR, Bahia – Followers of the Candomble religion staged a protest on Wednesday, in Salvador, next to the Stone of Shango. They are calling for the preservation of the stone, which is in the neighborhood of Fazenda Grande II, according to a report on the G1 network.
Pedra de Xangô (photo: g1.globo.com)
In the morning, people faithful to Candomble formed a group to clean the monument, known in Portuguese as Pedra de Xangô. The group, dressed in traditional white garb, sang and danced as they protested in favor of preserving the large stone.
According to Mother Iara D'Oxum, the request to preserver the monument has already been sent to the preservation committee, Artistic Cultural Heritage Institute of Bahia (IPAC). She says that a development company plans to blast the stone to make room for a building.
“Out claim, the holy people of African descent, is the preservation of our history, the preservation of our environment, the preservation of this great altar,” D'Oxum told G1.
“The Stone of Shango is a sacred monument in Candomble, where offerings are made. The elders tell us that during slavery, blacks fleeing used the openings in the stone to hide,” she added.
IPAC confirmed that on Tuesday it received a request from the Pedro Calmon Foundation asking for the preservation of Shango and will consider the request.
Read also: More Articles from Brazil Dispatch
Brazilian online news source for this article: G1 Bahia
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