"Faith, Culture, and Tradition": Listening to the Penitents of Santa Marta

Abstract

This article is based on fieldwork conducted in the Santa Marta Favela, in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. Inspired by the work of Steven Feld (1996; 2018; 2020), the text discusses the stories and types of listening of the Penitentes do Santa Marta, a Folia de Reis group based in the favela that bears its name. The Folia is a traditional Catholic festival that references the journey of the Three Wise Men and the birth of Jesus, going from homes and businesses offering music, dances and chulas and receiving food and drinks from the hosts, in a system of sharing gifts (Brandão, 1981; Souza, 2020). The group is composed of instrumentalists, singers and clowns of various ages, ranging from children to the elderly, and mostly black and brown. The division of roles within the Folia also cuts across genders, with women and men playing, singing, dancing, or holding the flag. Although the majority of members live or are from Santa Marta, they can also come from other locations. Through observations made during the Penitentes' rehearsals and journeys, we build an understanding and listening to the internal dynamics, relationships with tradition, and affiliations to the group. At the same time, we analyze the ways in which the clowns recite and create verses, the percussion performance of the percussionists, and the ways in which the masters and countermasters sing. With this, I draw an observation of the speech of the bodies and instruments of the Folia members, noting the processes of listening, memory, and teaching present in their journeys.