"The fire at the statue of Mãe Stella de Oxóssi was religious terrorism," says Mãe Márcia de Ogum.
"I can't imagine it was just an act of vandalism," says the Candomblé leader about the incident that occurred in Salvador.
247 - In an interview with TV 247, retired teacher and Candomblé leader Mãe Marcia de Ogum harshly criticized... Act of vandalism in Bahia against the monument in honor of the yalorixá Mãe Stella de Oxóssi., which was set on fire last Sunday (4) in Salvador (BA). The religious leader says it was not just an act of vandalism, but of religious terrorism.
"It's religious intolerance and it's racism, because Candomblé is not just a religion, it's a cultural legacy from Africa. It's very sad because we perceive hatred in those who committed the arson," he added.
The artwork consists of two sculptures: one of Mãe Stella, life-size, seated on a throne, and another 6,5-meter-tall sculpture of Oxóssi, the orixá to whom she was initiated in Candomblé. The complete work is 8,5 meters tall, including a two-meter concrete base.
Mother Márcia recalled that this was not the first terrorist act against the monument. “They weren’t content with just defacing it [in 2019], [now] they burned it, trying to shake our faith, our religiosity, but they won’t succeed. What else will happen? Today a statue burns, tomorrow a living person burns?” she questioned.
The nun demanded that the law be enforced to prevent more crimes like this from happening. "We can no longer live with this crime, this religious terrorism, going unpunished," she concluded.
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