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Paper short abstract

How does a very local African religion have impact on the white, educated, and “globalized” Portuguese population ? I will present two case studies from Guinea-Bissau which will analyze the circulation of religion and religious goods between Guinea and Lisbon.

Paper long abstract

In contemporary forms of religious circulation between Africa and the Europe one of the issues that has been dealt with is the conjunction of the so-called "traditional" ways and modernity, in the strict sense of the word. In this paper I want to take this notion further, and think of the implications of the African diaspora in the religious rituals. Using the case study of migrants from Guinea-Bissau living in Portugal, I will expand on the new forms of religious production, and especially of religious circulation. How does a djmabakóss or mouro (both religious ritualists) from Biombo (a quite isolated region in Guinea-Bissau)attract clients in Lisbon? How does a very local African religion have impact on the white, educated, and "globalised" Portuguese population ? I will present two case studies: one centered on the funeral of a mouro and the Portuguese women clients that attended this funeral; the second one, dealing with the circulations of goods between Guinea and Lisbon, undertaken by her daughter, upon the death of a djambakóss . These two examples will allow for considerations on the meaning of "transnational religions" when such micro-scale religious forms are at stake.