In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

c h a p t e r s i x t e e n  An Oxum Shelters Children in São Paulo Tânia Cypriano “Oxum is a goddess linked to the mastery of fresh waters, in particular the rivers. There is a river in Nigeria which bears her name. Oxum carries a fan, a golden crown, and a sword. Yellow is her favorite color, and she loves perfume and dolls. She is beauty, elegance, and affection. She is the symbol of womanhood, love, and procreation. Without her, men and women can neither mate nor enjoy one another.”1 The above is the narration I used to introduce the story of High Priest Laércio Zaniquelli in my video “Odô Yá! Life with AIDS.” The video is a documentary that records the grassroots organizing in Candomblé communities in Brazil to promote AIDS education and to care for and support people living with AIDS and the HIV virus. Odô Yá! is the name of a comic book created by Candomblé devotees to teach about AIDS from a Candomblé perspective: spiritual, lifeloving , and sex-positive. The comic contains stories of the Orixá, including Oxum. Pai Laércio, as he is known, is a priest of Oxum and the head of a Candomble ́ house of worship in São Paulo. For two years I had heard of Pai Laércio and his work with children with AIDS. During a visit to São Paulo to work on the documentary, I called Pai Laércio ’s assistant and asked to meet with the priest. Immediately, I was invited to participate in and videotape Pai Laércio’s annual party for Oxum in his house. I was surprised because up until that time I had been unable to videotape any Candomblé ceremonies because of scheduling problems or because people were hesitant to let an outsider videotape such important and intimate events. I truly believe that Pai knew I was coming and that Oxum did the work of bringing us together. I was honored because Oxum is one of my orixá and a very dear one. I felt that Oxum’s party was a present that she was giving to me and to the people who would see my video. The party was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The party at Pai Laércio’s house on the outskirts of São Paulo began about 11 p.m., but it wasn’t until at least 2 a.m. that Oxum came out, in the person of Pai Laércio in possession trance. First she dressed in white “to please Oxalá,” Pai Laércio told me later. Then she arrived a second time, dressed in her own colors of yellow and gold, all beautiful and powerful. Oxum danced with her sword and her fan, wearing the beaded crown that radiates her royal power. She saluted the drums as all orixá do in ceremonies, honoring their power to draw down the orixá into the world of human beings. Then she saluted the camera I was using to videotape the ceremony! In doing so, she gave her approval to the video shooting, and let it be known that the video, like the drums, was a channel to bring her presence to many people. She fed everyone present with the food that had been offered to her. And then she danced with the people who had come, and with Pai Laércio’s children, her children. I interviewed Pai Laércio several days later in the same house. It was as it is every day of the year but the day of the festival, a home for thirty-two children who are HIV positive or who are living with AIDS, called CCI, Infant Center Children of Oxum. Pai Laércio told me that the festival I attended is the only ceremony that takes place in his house in order that the children and their sleep not be disturbed. The space is Oxum’s, he said, and the work is hers as well. Pai Laércio said: “Oxum—people here say she stands for wealth alone. That she is a waterfall of sweet water. She’s not only that, I think. Oxum is procreation, the one who procreates, and who gives shelter, and the one who soothes. That’s why I like children so much. I protect the children. I actually think it is not me, but her, you know, because she is so much of who...

Share