Vidante: presentation of a candomblé philosophical approach

Abstract

Created during a doctoral program to present the existing philosophical discourse on Candomblé, "vidante" means "life before the way of life of Candomblé." It seeks to break with the epistemic paradigms of the traditional philosophical canon—particularly regarding ontology, history, and poetics—while also challenging the centralist cultural paradigms present in African cosmoperception (Bantucracy and Nagocracy). Vidante (representation of Black people, concept, testimony) also disrupts the "zone of non-being" (a type of politics of death) described by Frantz Fanon, as its main objective is to shift Black individuals from otherness to an "enchanted identity repatriation," capable of fostering healing and guiding them back to their ancestors. Vidante enthrones the orixá Logunedé to present enchantment as a specific philosophical approach within the ontoepistemic vein of African cosmoperception rooted in Candomblé. The emphasis on Logunedé does not centralize philosophy within the Yoruba tradition but instead reflects on the various paths through which this orixá converges. The living individual enthrones Logunedé to experience, express, and think in a spiraling and enchanted manner—also in the style of Exú and Saci Pererê—on this journey toward Candomblé to discuss identity repatriation. This repatriation draws many Black people to recompose their being—hitherto fragmented and expatriated—rather than merely conforming to an arrogant politics of life, which focuses more on the political aspect than on life itself.