The National Network of Afro-Brazilian Religions and Health (Renafro) is a civil society initiative that brings together terreiro communities, health managers and professionals, members of non-governmental organizations, researchers, and leaders of the Black movement who work to promote the health of the terreiro population.
Today, Renafro has hubs in several cities in the country. According to the institution’s website, there are 42 distributed across various states. And Curitiba will have its first hub next weekend. Ilê Asé Tobi Odé Karê Igbo, a terreiro with 26 years of existence in the Cajuru neighborhood, will represent the Network in the capital of Paraná. The inauguration event of the hub takes place on March 14 and 15 at the terreiro’s headquarters.
Yalorisha Josianne de Ode Kare, leader of Ilê Asé Tobi Odé, is Renafro’s coordinator in Curitiba. She has been part of the network for four years and emphasizes that the initiative aims to fight for the human right to health; to value and strengthen the knowledge of the terreiros and their recognition as spaces that promote health; to combat racism, sexism, homophobia, lesbophobia, and all forms of intolerance; to legitimize the leadership of the terreiros as holders of knowledge and authority to demand from local authorities quality care, in which the culture of the terreiro is recognized and respected.
“Since its creation, Renafro began to operate within the Ministries, seeking to bring the SUS closer to the terreiro peoples. We have always had great difficulty obtaining public health care suited to our needs. Thus, Renafro has acted over the years to break down barriers and enforce the rights of practitioners of Afro religions,” explains Mother Josianne.
Renafro was created in São Luís do Maranhão, during the II National Seminar on Afro-Brazilian Religions and Health in 2003. And it is part of various public health policy decision-making spaces, such as the Technical Committee on the Health of the Black Population of the Ministry of Health, the Intersectoral Commission on the Health of the Black Population and the Intersectoral Commission on the Health of the LGBT Population of the National Health Council, Municipal and State Health Councils, among others.
Yalorisha Josianne recalls that, historically, terreiro communities face racist and prejudiced attacks. And over time they suffer the denial of rights. “The impacts of this discrimination are profound and directly affect the mental and physical health of people who belong to these communities. Therefore, it is essential to create mechanisms that strengthen networks of protection, support, and care,” she says.
Integrative practices in the SUS
Mother Josianne reveals that one of Renafro’s objectives is to work to promote the integration of health practices promoted by the terreiros into the treatments of the Unified Health System (SUS).
Resolution 715 of the National Health Council, published on July 20, 2023, highlights the importance of Afro religions as complementary to the SUS. In alignment with the 1988 Federal Constitution and Federal Law No. 8.080/1990, the resolution establishes health as a universal right, in tune with the health policies of the terreiros.
The resolution addresses the idea that places like the terreiros have been gateways for the most in need, and defines the terreiros as health-promoting facilities.
Among the popular culture practices of traditional peoples of African origin recognized by the resolution are herb baths, the use of ancestral plants macerated or boiled with water, essential oils, among others.
“Renafro has a very good collaboration with Fiocruz and with the Ministry of Health. My intention is to ‘go down the staircase’ with Renafro—to come from the ministries to the state and municipal secretariats of Paraná and Curitiba. We cannot live on culture alone; if the terreiro people do not have health, what will our old age and our elders be like? Our intention is to work to bring practices of African origin as promoters of health and as complementary treatments in the SUS,” she explains.
The launch
On 14 and 15/03, the launch of the Renafro Hub in Curitiba will bring together representatives of terreiros, researchers, physicians, public health specialists, psychologists, and lawyers.
The national coordinators of Renafro Saúde, Baba Diba de Iyemonja, from Rio Grande do Sul, and Mãe Nilce de Yansã, from Rio de Janeiro, will also take part.
Schedule:
March 14: From 09h to 18h
March 15: From 09h to 12h
At Ilê Asé Tobi Odé Karê Igbo: Rua Roraima, nº 44 — Cajuru, Curitiba/PR.
The event is free and registration can be made at the link:
More information: https://www.instagram.com/renafrosaude/
