“Umbanda and Human Rights” arises from a paradox: Umbanda temples are historically spaces of refuge, protection, and resistance—especially for marginalized people—but they are also embedded in a society marked by violence, LGBTphobia, and religious intolerance.

 

In Ceará, these spaces function as a refuge for those who suffer exclusion due to gender identity, sexual orientation, or social condition. At the same time, they face attacks, stigmas, and human rights violations. The project starts from a clear premise: the temples are not just religious spaces—they are strategic territories for the defense of human rights.

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What the project does:

• It investigates, through ethnography, how issues of gender, sexuality, and justice are experienced within the terreiros (Afro-Brazilian religious spaces)

• It maps violence, discrimination, and trajectories of the search for justice

• It works with religious leaders (fathers and mothers of saints) as agents of social transformation.

• It develops interventions that combine traditional knowledge, culture, and human rights

 

The project transforms spiritual and community practices into concrete tools for protection, awareness, and mobilization.

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The Solution

“Close the Body” proposes an ethno-educational intervention model that:

• It trains religious leaders as defenders of human rights

• It creates educational materials and protection technologies (apps, videos, digital content)

• It strengthens community networks within the terreiros (Afro-Brazilian religious centers)

• It acts in direct confrontation of LGBTphobia, racism, and gender violence

• It connects traditional knowledge with the legal system and public policies

 

The logic is simple and powerful: to use the cultural and spiritual strength of the terreiros to protect real lives.

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Vision

To consolidate the terreiros (Afro-Brazilian religious centers) as vibrant networks of social protection, justice, and promotion of human dignity—with the capacity to influence public policies and transform local realities.