O papel dos orixás no Candomblé

This illustrated podcast in Portuguese was created by Emilia Kropowska, a student of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the School of Languages and Area Studies, University of Portsmouth, as a part of a research project entitled 'The Role of Student Audio Casting and Production in the Language Learning Curriculum'. The recording is based on the student's own original research carried out in Brazil and is based on an interview with a filha-do-santo, or initiate, Mônica Baptista Costa. Mônica explains the role of orixás in the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé, which was brought to Brazil during the era of slavery, and which has since become one of Brazil's major religions. Orixás play a pivotal role in Candomblé ritual and belief; they are intermediaries between human beings, nature and the divine. The podcast focuses particularly on the role of the orixá Exu, and what he represents within the belief system of Candomblé. The podcast can be used as a learning resource in several different ways: as a focus for discussion, aural comprehension or as a base for further research by students in the field of Lusophone, Brazilian and Latin American Studies.