The knowledge of Candomblé Terreiros and Exu in the practice and theory of reading mediation

Authors

  • Felínio de Sousa Freitas Unesp - Instituto de Artes - Câmpus de São Paulo

Abstract

The aim of this paper, based on research conducted during my master’s degree, is to reflect on the practice of reading mediation through the knowledge of Candomblé terreiros and the body-corpus, the word, and the poetic and political performance of a reading mediator, drawing from the figure of the orixá Exu, a mediating entity in Candomblé. Writing and reflection, guided by the self-ethnographic method (Silva, 2017), stem from my experience mediating reading sessions with workers in industrial settings - mainly in shoe production factories - across small cities in the of São Paulo state between 2017 and 2019. Additionally, this research is influenced by my role as filho de santo in the Candomblé terreiro Nzó Kyloatala, which carries sociocultural and religious traditions of the Bantu peoples who were trafficked to Brazil during the period of slavery. The theoretical framework of this study includes authors who discuss themes such as Exu (Silva, 2022), the knowledge of Candomblé terreiros (Machado, 2019), Afro-Brazilian religion, the word (Martins, 2021), and the concept of reading the world (Freire, 2011). Based on the reading mediations carried out, this research ultimately proposes a decolonial approach to reading mediation, inspired by the knowledge of terreiros and the orixá Exu, fostering enchantment through words and books.

Author Biography

Felínio de Sousa Freitas, Unesp - Instituto de Artes - Câmpus de São Paulo

Mediador de leitura e Mestre em Artes pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Artes, Instituto de Artes da UNESP, área de concentração Arte e Educação, na linha de pesquisa Processos Artísticos, Experiências Educacionais e Mediação Cultural. Especialista em Gestão Cultural Contemporânea: da Ampliação do Repertório Poético à Construção de Equipes Colaborativas, pelo Itaú Cultural; e graduado em Comunicação Social - Habilitação em Jornalismo pelo Centro Universitário de Araraquara (UNIARA). Atua nos seguintes temas: mediação de leitura, formação de mediadores/as de leitura e práticas de leitura de trabalhadores fabris. Em 2019, venceu a 18 edição do Leia Comigo, concurso da Fundação Nacional do Livro Infantil e Juvenil (FNLIJ) com o relato sobre mediação de leitura/trabalho com operárias/os dentro de indústrias. É autor da obra "Mediação de leitura para o encanto" (Editora Telha, 2024).

Published

2025-12-31