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.
Paulinho of Brazils Atletico Mineiro gives thanks after scoring during the Brasileirao championship soccer match against Botafogo at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. Paulinho has become a powerful voice for the often-marginalized practitioners of the Candomble religion.
Just a small minority in Brazil practices Candomblé. But in recent years there have been increased reports of incidents of religious intolerance against them, particularly at the hands of members ofWhile 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.”
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