Paulinho won’t let intolerance of his Afro-Brazilian religion stop his faith • Business Mirror

LAGOA SANTA, Brazil — When Brazilian soccer player Paulinho scored a goal at the Tokyo Olympics, he celebrated by pointing an imaginary arrow at the flashing cameras as homage to a deity in his persecuted Afro-Brazilian faith – and taking aim at religious intolerance.

Just a small minority in Brazil practices Candomblé. But in recent years there have been increased reports of incidents of religious intolerance against them, particularly at the hands of members of Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal churches, which focus on spreading faith among nonbelievers. His mother, Ana Christina Sampaio, recalled feeling offended when parents of other players suggested that her son was thriving on the soccer field only because he was being helped by Afro-Brazilian sacrificial rituals.

“Candomblé has always been persecuted, the only place in Brazil where their followers are the majority is at Carnival,” said sociologist Reginaldo Prandi. He was making note of the popular traditional samba school competition where lyrics citing Candomblé deities, or orixas, have been a constant for decades.

Paulinho now plays for Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro, a club that during the 1980s had some of the first outspoken evangelical soccer players in the country. He still dreams of playing in England or Spain.“People realize that I have a greater understanding and knowledge about our religion,” he said. “Looking back… Candomblé has been present in every phase, showing us the way. And now, I can speak with greater confidence.

Paulinho has also been a target of far-right activists aligned with former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has a strong base among evangelicals. Paulinho was one of the few active soccer players to publicly endorse President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 elections.

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