Ô abre alas! Os pretos-velhos e pretas-velhas vão passar! Ancestralidade e resistência nos sambas de enredo do carnaval carioca (2018 a 2020)

Abstract

This work analyzes how the pretos-velhos and pretas-velhas, figures so present in umbanda, are represented in the samba lyrics of samba schools belonging to the Grupo Especial and Série A of the carnival in the city of Rio de Janeiro in parades that took place between 2018 and 2020. The sambas analyzed are: “Meu Deus, Meu Deus está extinta a escravidão?” from G.R.E.S Paraíso da Tuiuti (2018); “Moju, Magé, Mojubá” by G.R.E.S Inocentes de Belford Roxo (2018); “Saravá, umbanda, G.R.E.S Alegria da Zona Sul (2019); “Eu que te benzo, Deus que te cura” G.R.E.S Renascer de Jacarepaguá (2020) and A Guerreira Negra que dominou os dois mundos” by G.R.E.S Acadêmicos da Rocinha (2020). Firstly, we address the Bantu influence in the creation of umbanda in Brazil, together with the pantheon of deities and their phalanges and examine the representation of the preto-velho and preta-velha consolidated in a subaltern role, resulting from dominant control strategies. Secondly, we expose the relationship between umbanda elders and Rio's samba schools since the beginning of the establishment of the associations in the capital of Rio de Janeiro and highlight the perspective of pretos-velhos associated with freedom, non-subordination and the symbolism of black and preta- old style intertwined with various carnival elements, including samba-enredo. Below, we present a brief historical retrospective of each samba school and the lyrics of the plot sambas analyzed in this work and, also, the categories of samba analyzes made using Lawrence Bardin's Content Analysis methodology. Subsequently, we carried out analyzes and explored the relevance of preto-velho and preta-velha in the lyrics presented, with the purpose of revealing deeper meanings related to Afro-religiosity, racial identity, resistance and collective memory. After the analysis, we found that black men and women have the inventive capacity to symbolize the struggle of black people for justice, freedom and maintenance of traditional knowledge.