“Os espíritos tão libertando elas”: racismo institucional e a negação da liberdade de culto às mulheres de candomblé no cárcere feminino de Salvador

Abstract

This study analyzes the manifestation of religious racism within the Brazilian prison system, with a specific focus on the Salvador Women’s Penal Complex (Bahia). The research is anchored in the premise that, despite the fundamental guarantee of freedom of belief and worship provided by the 1988 Federal Constitution, its application is selective and shaped by historical structures of racial discrimination. The work traces the legal trajectory of Brazilian constitutionalism, demonstrating how, since the 1824 Constitution, the State has systematically leveraged the discourse of religious freedom to repress the practices of Afro-diasporic religions. Drawing upon scholars such as Sueli Carneiro, Maurício Azevedo, and Ana Flauzina, the discussion addresses the perpetuation of epistemicide and the folklorization of Afro-Brazilian traditions as subtle expressions of religious racism. The methodology employed combines exhaustive bibliographic review with qualitative field research, including site visits and interviews with the Iyalorixá and other religious representatives. Findings indicate that institutional racism manifests through the denial, complication, and stigmatization of Candomblé practices within the correctional setting, contrasting sharply with the predominance of Neo-Pentecostal assistance. It is concluded that Brazilian constitutionalism, while proclaiming secularism and pluralism, maintains selective practices that reinforce the exclusion and silencing of Afro-Brazilian religions, reproducing the colonial and racist heritage of social structures within the carceral environment.