Lecture 2: Xang, Ossanha, Oxum,Yemanj Ex and Pomba Gira in popular Music

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Lecture 2 Xangô, Ossanha, Oxum,Yemanjá Exú and
Pomba Gira in popular Music

• Vesa Matteo Piludu
• Helsinki

Department of Comparative Religion and Institute
for Art Research University of Helsinki
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Afro-American religions

• These religions have a complicate theology and
  pantheon of possessing divinities
• Are strongly focused on ritual trance, dances and
  rhythmic music
• Are demonized in Hollywood cinema and in certain
  aspects of American popular cultures
• Their influence on popular music is constant
• At the musical level
• At the lyrical level
• Politically, the inclusion of references to
  Afro-American religion in the lyrics are clear
  indicators of interest in Afro-American cultures
  and/or social issues
• Attention not only Afro-Americans write about
  Afro-American religions!

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Xangô, Benin, Africa
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Vinicius de Moraes Baden PowellCanto de
Ossanha

• Amigo sinhôSaraváXangô me mandou lhe dizer
• Se é canto de OssanhaNão vá!Que muito vai se
  arrepender
• Pergunte pr'o seu OrixáO amor só é bom se doer

• Friend, old boy
• Saravá
• Xangô send me to say to you
• If it is Song of Ossanha
• Dont go!
• You will regret it!
• Ask to your orixá
• The love is good only
• if it hurts!
• Xangô, opposed to the herbalist Ossanha, is here
  represented as a protector of passionate and
  brave love, including risks of pain and sorrow

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Xangô justice and wifes

• Xangô has 3 wifes Oia-Iansã (storm), Oxum
  (river) and Obá (a she-warrior, also connected to
  a river)
• There is a strong rivality between Oxum and Obá
• Xangô is the loverboy of the candomblé pantheon
  and the protector of love passions
• As other gods of thunder, Xango is connected to
  justice and he is a punisher of thieves and
  evil-doers
• In Africa house stroked by lighting is considered
  marked by the rave of Xangô

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Santana Jingo

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vRc4vZHf5iSQ

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Galn Costa and Milton Nascimento Voz do Tambor
(Fonseca/Bastos)LP Aquele frevo axé

• Fala por nós a voz do tambor
• Voz que trae o meu amor
• As cahoeiras
• Céu onde está Olorum
• Toda a beleza
• Agradecer a Oxum
• Luz das estrelas
• Agradecer a Xango
• O bem da vida
• O bem da vida vem no bater do tambor
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vEaNba-3Wy8Y

• The voice of the drums speaks for us
• The voice that takes my love
• The rapids
• Sky where Olorum lives
• All the beauty
• Will please Oxum
• Starlight
• Will please Xango
• The joy of life
• Come from drumming
• Olorum God of skies
• Xango god of thunder
• Oxum goddess of
• Free translation
• Vesa Matteo Piludu

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Zeca Baleiro Mamae Oxum (traditional, Brazil)

• Ive seen Mother Oxúm in a waterfall
• Sitting on the rivers shores
• Picking flowers, oh yeah
• Picking flowers, oh yeah
• Picking flowers
• To fascinate her congá (altar)
• Its the sea sand illuminated by the sky,
• Sea sand illuminated by the sky,
• In the sea sand, the sea is sand
• Full tide, oh, the sea shores!

• Iemanjá Celebration Mamãe Oxum
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vqDi89NTy-Nk
• Dances of Oxum
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vqhcsJ0-4s54feature
  related
• Zeca Baleiro Mamãe Oxum
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vPkctGlCA_tw
• Eu vi mamãe Oxum na cachoeiraSentada na beira do
  rio
• Colhendo lírio lirulêColhendo lírio
  liruláColhendo lírioPra enfeitar o seu congá
• Ê areia do mar que o céu serenaÊ areia do mar
  que o céu serenouNa areia do mar mar é
  areiaMaré cheia ê mar marejou

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Oxúm in the Fall
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Oxum

• Divinity of fresh, running waters
• Waterfalls
• Sensual, feminine, vain
• But also protective and full of compassion
• She is full of strength of will
• connected to childbirth and Ifá divination
• Symbol golden mirror, abebé
• Colour golden yellow, copper

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Oxum

• Cd Festa da Musica do Gantois 2
• track 1
• Rhythm ijexá
• Ore yê yê ô!
• The dance represent both the movement of a
  flowing river and sensual femininity
• The divinity is looking at the mirror and taking
  care of her jewellery and hairs

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Oxum
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Oxum
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Oxum, Brazil
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Oxum

• In Nigeria she is the divinity of the river Oxum
• According to a legend she was offended because
  the male orixás organized reunions without women
• As a revenge, she make all the women barren and
  the all the orixas projects failed
• At the end all, she is invited to the reunions,
  and the things turn back to the normality

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Gal Costa (Author Dorival Caymmy, Brazil)Dois
de Fevereiro, LP Gal Costa canta Caymmy

• Dia dois de fevereiroDia de festa no marEu
  quero ser o primeiroPra salvar YemanjáEu
  mandei um bilhete pra elaPedindo para ela me
  ajudarEla então me respondeuQue eu tivesse
  paciência de esperarO presente que eu mandei pra
  elaDe cravos e rosas vingou
• The Second of February
• Its a day of celebration on the sea
• I want to be the first one
• To hail Yemanjá
• I send her a paper
• Asking for help
• She answered
• To have patience and wait
• I gave her a present
• Done by carnation and roses

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Iemanjá - Yemanjá

• Lady of the seas and oceans, salted water
• Both calm and stormy
• Fertility, childbirth
• protector of family
• Is considered the mother of all the orixás
• Colours silver white and turquoise
• Symbol silver mirror, abebé

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Yemanjá

• Cd Festa da Musica do Gantois 2
• track 4
• Various rhythms
• Odu iyá!
• The dance represents the movements of the sea,
  the waves and calm femininity

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African legend back to the sea

• She is the daughter of Olookun, divinity of the
  deep seas
• His husband is completely drunk and pokes fun at
  the impressive dimensions of the breasts of
  Yemanjá
• Offended, she beats the ground with her foot and
  transforms herself into a river, that goes back
  to the sea

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Procession of Iemanjá Second of February
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Procession of Jemanjá
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On DVD Carlinhos Brown,ao vivo no festival de
verao Salvador

• Track 20 Carlinhos Brown in the festival of
  Yemanjá
• Track 19 Charles Ylé
• Track 12 Political mystic discourse
• Track 6 Toda Paz

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Rappa (Brazil) Lado B Lado A

• If they are Exú
• Im Yemanjá
• If they kill a beast
• I swim in the sea
• ()
• Im not renouncing to the Black Mythology
• To say
• Im not like you!
• Im a warrior, a worker
• Fighting every day
• With faith in God and in my battle ()
• Exú crossroads god
• Yemanjá Sea goddess
• Free translation Vesa Matteo Piludu

• Se eles sao Exu
• Eu sou Yemanjá
• Se elem matam bicho
• Eu tomo banho de mar
• ()
• Nao abro mao da mitologia negra
• Pra dizer
• Eu nao pareco com com voce
• ()
• Eu soh guerreiro, sou trabalhadorEh todo dia vou
  encararCom Fé em Deus e na minha batalha (...)

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Exú (Salvador, Brazil)
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Exus colors red and black
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Exú - Carybe

• Traditional trickster
• Is uncontrollable, unpredictable
• But it is possible to ask him favours
• Dominantly male, but also female, strongly human
  and emotive, full of desires
• It is dangerous for his human-like behaviour
  but isnt evil
• He is the mediator, the bridge between humans and
  divinities
• He must called before all the others divinities
  to avoid confusion

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Exú

• Exu (known as Eleggua in Cuba and Legba in Haiti)
  is the owner of the roads and doors in this
  world.
• He is the repository of axé (life energy).
• The colours red and black or white and black are
  his and codify his contradictory nature.
• In particular, Exu stands at the crossroads of
  the human and the divine, as he is a child-like
  messenger between the two worlds
• Exú is also connected to sacrifices and offer

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Eshú l'arôye!

• If Exú is respected, he opens the doors and it
  is helpful
• If isnt considered, he could cause every kinds
  of catastrophes
• He isnt only good or bad, it depends on the
  situations

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Exú ceremony - padé

• The exú ceremony is called padé
• It consist of an offer of vegetals to Exú
• and it is performed before the real ceremony,
  to avoid confusion during the ritual
• CD Filhos de Gandhi, track 3 sire de exú

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Exú (Salvador, Brazil)
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Vinicius de Moraes Baden PowellLamento de Exú

• The cry of Exú is interpreted with a feeling
  similar to the blues

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Pomba Gira in the Macumba of Rio

• In Rio de Janeiro, Exú is more Devil looking
  and has a female version or counterpart Pomba
  Gira or Pombo Gira
• sexuality, and desire
• Pomba Gira is viewed as a sensual woman who is
  insatiable
• She is often portrayed as a gipsy
• Pomba Gira is often invoked by those who seek aid
  in matters of love and sexuality

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Festa de Pombo Gira das Almas e Maria Mulambo

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vFv_NwgjuY7Ifeature
  related

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Tecno and Rap - Exú

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vMqXQavT72s8
• Theo Werneck and Paula Pretta's music

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Martinho da Vila Sincretismo religiosoSinger
from Rio in favor of syncretism

• Ê, ô, todos os povos são filhos do senhor!Deus
  está em todo lugar.
• Nas mãos que criam, nas bocas que cantam, nos
  corpos que dançam, nas relações amorosas, no
  lazer sadio, no trabalho honesto.
• Onde está Deus? - Em todo lugar!
• Olorum, Jeová, Oxalá, Alah, NZambi. . . Jesus!
• E o espírito Santo? É Deus!Salve sincretismo
  religioso! - Salve!Quem é Omulu, gente? - São
  Lázaro! Iansã? - Santa Bárbara!Ogum? - São
  Jorge!

• All the peoples are Gods sons
• God is everywhere!
• In the hands that create, in the mouths that
  song, in the bodies that dance, in the love
  relations, in the healthy and in the honest work
• Where is God? Everywhere!
• Olorum, Jeová, Oxalá, Alah, NZambi. . . Jesus!
• And the Holy Spirit? Is Jesus!
• Hail the syncretism! Hail!
• Whos Omolú, people?
• Saint Lazarus!
• Iansã? - Saint Barbara!
• Ogum? Saint George!

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Mãe Stella of Oxossi (Salvador) against the
syncretism Iansã is not Santa Barbara

• The catholic saints and images have their value.
  We do not want to stop having faith in Saint
  Barbara. Sure, an elevated spirit.
• But we know that Iansã is another energy, it is
  not St. Barbara.
• Religion is not something to be imposed, it
  depends of the consciousness of everyone.
• But we want respect with the Candomblé.
• It is a non-sense, for example, to give food to
  Iansa at St.Barbara's feet. It has no meaning.
• The food is of Iansa, it is another energy,
  completely different of what it is St.Barbara, do
  you understand?