Afro-Creole Religion & Art

These can be (but are not limited to) :
1) expressions of the identity and meaning of a particular Orixa or Spirit (i.e. a ponto riscado for Exu, a couple of Songs for Exu, a description of a possession trance involving Exu, a statue of Ze Pelintra, or a contemporary artist’s depiction of Pomba Gira)
2) OR they can be all of one type – but focused on different spirits or Orixa – (i.e. a discussion of 4 different visual images, songs, etc.)
3) OR they can involve alternative ways of thinking about the meanings made in Afro-Brazilian or broader  Afro-Atlantic culture through the arts (i.e. Afro-Atlantic ritual arts and their representation in – say – Disney movies) … the sky is kind of the limit here… but you’re going to need to familiarize yourself with the material in the archives referenced in this (as well as the material presented in the course texts and readings). 

Your second task is to write an essay where you  CONTEXUTALIZE, COMPARE, AND CONTRAST -then CONNECT these images, objects or other expressive forms.

1) First put them in proper CONTEXT… tell your reader everything you know about them in historical and cultural context – you’re probably gonna have to do a bit of extra research to do this properly.
2) COMPARE them to one another (and/or to other forms of expressive culture) how are they similar, what common themes or common concepts do they express, what common traits do they have… where are the similarities?  
3) CONTRAST them (if contrast is appropriate) – How are these expressive forms different from one another?  What do those differences entail and why are they important? 

4) CONNECT these objects, images, movements, foodways or other expressive forms in terms of the theoretical concepts we’ve explored in course readings – everything from Ventura, Paravisini-Gebert/Fernandez-Olmos, Wafer,  (et. al).  It’s all fair game here… just make substantive connections between specific examples and general theoretical concepts… 

Your job is to write a 5-8 page essay (double spaced) that accomplishes the work described above – longer is both fine, and, in fact, preferred. 

LINK TO ART: https://sacredart.caaar.duke.edu/