Entre rezas e encantos : a orixalidade e a territorialidade em Torto Arado, de Itamar Vieira Junior

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the book Crooked plow (2019), by Itamar Vieira Junior, articulating concepts of Black-Brazilian literature (Cuti, 2010) with the experiences of blackness constructed throughout the work, having Nagô Thought as a solid base (Sodré, 2021), emphasizing the Orisha worship (Silveira, 2014) and territoriality (Nascimento, 2018). Upon the analysis of five characters — Zeca Chapéu Grande, Bibiana, Belonísia, Severo and Santa Rita Pescadeira —, we have a clearly understanding the manifestation of Yoruban Orisha worship, relating it to the mythologies of African-based religions (Prandi, 2017) and studies on the Orishas themselves (Kileuy and Oxaguiã, 2009). Simultaneously, we have taken in consideration the importance of the scenario in which the story unfolds, in the fictional Fazenda Água Negra, since the notions of territory are conceived as a place of history and memory of the black and Brazilian population, moving between the slave quarters, the terreiro (Afro-Brazilian religious ground) and the quilombo (runaway slave community). Through an analytical investigation and bibliographical research, we also seek to identify how the author's socio-historical context and social trajectory (Velho, 2013) influenced the development and reception of the book. Crooked plow (2019) narrates the pain and love of a quilombola family in Recôncavo Baiano, in the 20th century, highlighting the trajectory of people who remained as slaves in the post-abolition period. The work transcends the narrative of remaining enslaved people, equating cosmologies with epistemologies and intertwining, in a profound way, memories and the future, emphasizing the persistence and faith of Brazilian blackness in surviving and living in Brazilian society.