A A TRUE ETHNIC SCENARIO IN MACEIÓ: urban sociability and cultural arrangements in the Levada neighborhood during the First Republic

Abstract

This article explores forms of social interaction in public spaces in the city of Maceió, Alagoas, specifically in the peripheral neighborhood of Levada whose population was formed, during the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, by ex-slaves, African remnants, and free and poor men and women. Given the daily dynamics related to work and entertainment, we can think of it as a true ethnic scenario. We seek to explore the forms of sociability observed in the public areas of the neighborhood, especially the sociabilities of religious celebrations, a privileged space for observing customs and public behavior norms. We highlight two celebratory situations: the feast of São Benedito and the tributes to Santa Bárbara. These celebrations, held by religious houses of African matrices, attracted many people, both from the neighborhood and from other locations. They gained greater visibility when organized by Chico Foguinho, a religious leader in the neighborhood. In journalistic news, the celebrations were often reported as tragic facts, anecdotes, or as complaints made by dissatisfied neighbors. This interpretation is based on newspaper materials of the time, particularly the Jornal de Alagoas, the main opposition organ, in addition to the local chronicles of that period. This article derives from doctoral research, started in the 2000s, whose objective was to investigate the persecution of religious worship houses, known at the time as xangôs. The conclusion, as already verified in the thesis (Rafael, 2004), is that the presence of the black population in Maceió has always been erased, not only by the press, but especially in academic works of more recent periods.