When Brazilian soccer player Paulinho scored a goal at the Tokyo Olympics, he celebrated by pointing an imaginary arrow at the flashing cameras as homage to a deity in his persecuted Afro-Brazilian faith.
While most proselytizing is peaceful, some members of African-influenced religions have faced verbal abuse,Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Paulinho said he suffered prejudice because of his faith -- like his mother and grandmother before him.
As Portuguese Catholic colonists brought enslaved Africans to Brazil, those men and women developed blends of theirwith Catholicism. Currently, those faiths are practiced by less than 1% of the 210 million Brazilians. Paulinho said some of the prejudice he endured, prompted him to leave Brazil for European soccer. In 2018, he moved to German club Bayer Leverkusen in a transfer worth $21 million. He played 79 matches and scored nine goals in four years. His faith, he said, was never an issue there.
In the same post, another club supporter said: “You care more about candomblé and politics than soccer, you shouldn’t be here.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Women of the Sea: Afro-descendants honor their heritage in MexicoThrough portraits and interviews with activists and artists, Koral Carballo sought out an answer to the question of what it means to be an Afro-Mexican woman today.
Read more »
Brazilian President Lula to undergo hip surgery, will work from home for 3 weeksBrazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will undergo hip surgery on Friday and will work from the presidential residence for about three weeks.
Read more »
Brazilian President Lula to undergo hip surgery, will work from home for 3 weeksBrazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will undergo hip surgery on Friday and will work from the presidential residence for about three weeks
Read more »
Brazilian President Lula to undergo hip surgery, will work from home for 3 weeksBrazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will undergo hip surgery on Friday and will work from the presidential residence for about three weeks
Read more »
Up in the air: Brazilian firefighters make unusual trip to salvage organ transplantWhen it comes to organ transplants, every second counts.
Read more »
Tree-hugging AI to the rescue of Brazilian AmazonSmall, artificially intelligent boxes tied to tree trunks in the Brazilian Amazon are the latest weapon in the arsenal of scientists and environmentalists battling destructive jungle invaders.
Read more »