African and africanized tissues in candomblés of São Paulo

Abstract

The fabrics that come from Africa are fundamental for thinking about the aesthetics of
candomblés of São Paulo, as their historical trajectories demonstrate a complex cultural plot
that questions the notion of pure origin, while still being used as symbols of African and Afro-
Brazilian cultural identity. This work seeks to analyze the motivation for the use of fabrics
coming from the Africa, within the candomblés of São Paulo, until today. The objective is to
bring the history of these fabrics from the African continent, until their arrival in candomblés:
the Așǫ Oke, produced by the yorùbá; the industrially Wax Print; and Nigerian-Austrian laces.
We sought to identify the presence of these textiles through images of the twentieth century,
and visits to temples in São Paulo, for analysis in the contemporary. What were discovered
were distinct processes that motivated this use: Wax Print gained a load of connection with
what is being worn on the African continent today. Așǫ Oke is related to the idea of tradition.
While the laces imported from Nigeria are consumed, mixing an allusion to the clothing of
Creoles, with the contemporary import of fabrics that pass through the African continent.
The greatest difficulty of the research was to find the confluences of narratives of the fabric
producers and users; in addition to the few Brazilian researchers who have analyzed the
textiles. Finally, the importance of this research lies in a new analysis of these textiles, in
context of candomblés, verifying them as an inseparable part of the aesthetics that make
up the ethos of the people of axé.