Introduction

This chapter focuses on intellectual responses to Afro-Bahian religious and cultural expression. It sheds light on the rich social history of Afro-Bahians in the second half of the nineteenth century. On 1870, an article appeared in the Bahian newspaper, O Alabama, describing plans for a gathering that Wednesday evening to pay homage to a priest of fetishism known as Chico-Papae. A leader of a terreiro, a house devoted to the Afro-Bahian religion known as Candombl. O Alabama accused leaders and followers of Candombl of acting against the best interests of Bahian society by undermining Brazil's involvement in the Paraguayan War and impeding the formation of a viable abolitionist movement. Candombl ceremonies destabilized the slave regime of Bahia, and O Alabama also criticized Candombl for promoting disruptive behavior. From 1865 to 1870, Brazil joined with Argentina and Uruguay in a devastating war against Paraguay. Bahia made contributions to the war effort by mobilizing more troops than any other province in Brazil.