Overview

The mystical element plays an unusual role in the civilizing process of Brazilian society. Realms such as samba, malandragem, soccer, and Carnival reflect this process, which unfolded in the shadow of the Precarious. On the street, in the terreiro, at the bar, in the favela, at the crossroads, or on the floodplain—a multifaceted historical and cultural identity was forged, resulting from the intersection of Amerindian and African spiritualities and European popular Catholicism. Macumbaria explores the phenomenon of the “macumba complex” through the lens of historian Luiz Antonio Simas, the film’s narrator.