SanctuaryofSeuZéPelintra:aroguesaintforthecity

Image description: The image is a photograph of a shrine dedicated to Seu Zé Pelintra, a "malandro" saint for the city. In the foreground, there is a statue of a man with black-painted skin, wearing a white hat and a red shirt. He is smoking a cigarette. In the background, several other statues are arranged on shelves, including figures dressed in red and gold.

Lapa, the neighborhood known for embodying the bohemian spirit of Rio de Janeiro, has been the stage for great events throughout time. In its arches, corners, cobblestones, dive bars, lampposts, and drinks spilled on the ground, lives the memory of many people who passed through there and made it what it is; a true ruckus. Miguelzinho, Camisa Preta, Meia-Noite, Edgar, the legendary Dama do Cabaré, and the eternal Madame Satã are some of the names that make up the court of a rabble that calls that place home. Between capoeira moves, caresses, benders, betrayal, smoke, seduction, beauty, and bets, Lapa establishes itself in a singular charm for those who lived life there. As the sambas sang, it is watched over by “orixás of its own kind” and crossed by a certain “bohemia that uses and abuses diplomacy, but doesn't like anyone.”

This unruly Lapa, a kind of handiwork forged in this Rio, worthy of the passions and quizumbas that bind it, has a saint to call its own. A saint on the slant, without the prerogative of canon, but faithful to the rabble of the common folk and the people of the street. Seu Zé Pelintra, a mandinga-working nêgo from Brazil's northeast, versed in pajelanças, in the fundamentos of the forests and of smoke, master healer of the body's ailments and the soul's perdition. Seu Zé came down from Alagoas in his canoe to land as a malandro in this city. He crossed the secrets of jurema into his linen suit. Into the cuia from which he drinks wine, he poured cold beer instead; into the pipe, the cheapest cigarette; and he traded the maracá for the tamborim. His popularity earned the malandro a sanctuary in the liver of downtown.

Image description: The image is a photograph of a shrine dedicated to Seu Zé Pelintra, a popular figure in Brazilian popular culture. In the photo, we see several decorative figures arranged on a horizontal surface. On the left side, there are two beer cans, one white with the "Itaipava" logo and another red with the "Brahma" logo. In front of them, there are two small statues of a man dressed in a white suit and white hat. Further to the right, there is a large statue of a Black man wearing a white suit and white hat with a red bow tie. Behind this main figure, there are two more smaller statues, also dressed in white suits and white hats. To the right, there is a small statue of a man wearing a black suit and white hat, holding an object that looks like a lighthouse. Beside him, there is another smaller figure, dressed in a red and white striped shirt, also wearing a white hat. All the objects are arranged on a gray surface, and the background is black.

For those who are enchanted at the corner, the spat cachaça and the blown smoke are enough, but the faith of its pilgrims wants more. For this reason, at the foot of Ladeira de Santa Tereza a small house rose up where the malandro lives and the reverse of the street doesn't even think of passing through. The sanctuary of Zé Pelintra is today, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, a landmark for those who share the devotion to the master and to the whole court of malandros and malandras who make of the street a great stage for the experimentation of life, its dilemmas, flavors, contradictions, and charms.

In Rio de Janeiro, Zé Pelintra is one of the icons of Umbanda. With a swaying walk, he moves through different circles and becomes part of the city's culture, remembered in samba circles, capoeira, bars, carnival associations, and other different everyday scenes. As it is the people who make the saint, as Câmara Cascudo used to say, in the Carioca village our people made a rascal saint, popular because he walks everywhere, a loyal friend, good at talking and good with words.

Image description: The image is a photograph of a wall featuring decorative elements and a human figure in the foreground. The wall displays a series of statues in niches, depicting figures dressed in formal attire, including hats and suits. In the center, there is a female figure wearing a white hat and a large red heart. To the right, there is another male figure wearing a white hat and suit. In the lower part of the image, a woman is posing with a musical instrument, wearing red and black clothing with intricate patterns. The predominant colors are red, black, and white.