What kind of Candomblé are we Talking About? Preliminary Discussions Regarding a Federal Patrimonialization of Brazilian Candomblé Yards (1986 – 2014)

The first federal recognition of a candomblé yard as a Heritage Site (which took place in 1986 in the city of Salvador) represented, during the final years of the military regime, the statement of multi-ethnic and multi-racial features of the Brazilian state and its cultural heritage. Since then, six other candomblé yards located in Bahia and Maranhão were recognized as Brazilian cultural heritage. Such recognition, since 2000—when the national list of intangible heritage was instituted—not only represents the preservation efforts of natural elements undertaken by different groups participating in the national civilizing process, but the option to categorize candomblé as tangible heritage. This demonstration mainly proposes to discuss, beyond the categories operated by Brazilian federal politics of heritage preservation, the reconfiguration process that allowed the recognition of the candomblé yards (where the historical religious cult was the target of repressive interventions by the state) as cultural heritage, representing the national identity.