THE GESTURE AND THE BODY IN THE AFRO-BRAZ ILIAN RELIGION

Afro-Brazilian religion in its traditional forms (candomble and xango) is typically a religion of the body and of the gesture. The first act of its ritual is animal sacrifice, which feeds both the gods and the faithful. It is a religion in which thought is expressed through the m otions of dance and trance, far removed from the cerebral religions ty pical of the western world during the Reformation, the Counter-Reforma tion and the rise of capitalism with its austerity and privation. Anch ored firmly in the tangible world, candomble'-xango recognizes no sepa ration between body and soul, nor between health and holiness. Its fun damental hedonism finds a natural place in a postmodern society which is once more valuing the body, gesture, emotion and passion.