Introductory topics on narcopentecostalism and coloniality: the erasure of afro-brazilian traditions

Abstract

The article analyzes narcopentecostalism as a contemporary form of perpetuating colonial patterns of religious domination, investigating its repressive actions against African-rooted religious traditions in Brazil. The study adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing a bibliographic review and document analysis of cases reported in the media and academic studies on religious violence. The findings indicate that the association between criminal groups and Pentecostal churches constitutes a new model of social and territorial control, characterized by the repression of Afro-Brazilian religions and the imposition of an evangelical morality, reinforcing structures of political and economic power. This phenomenon reflects the continuity of colonialism, now mediated through religion, within the context of urban peripheries.