The registration policy for the congadas in Minas Gerais: mobilization, dialogues and discontinuities at Santo Antônio do Monte.

Abstract

This article debates the registration process for the Congadas in Minas Gerais carried out by the Institute of National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan). The Congadas are a manifestation of the African-Brazilian culture with origins dating back to the period of slavery, there are records of festive rituals to praise Our Lady of the Rosary and other catholic saints, such as Saint Benedict and Saint Ephigenia in all regions of the state. The festivities receive different denominations in each location, Santo Antônio do Monte, located in the central-west region of Minas Gerais, uses the terms reinado, while catupé is generally adopted at the region of the Triângulo Mineiro and other use congadas or congados. The researches in progress aim to create a diverse and wide-ranging knowledge about the cultural practice and to collect data through a specific methodology called INRC – National Inventory of Cultural References. In parallel, ethnographic and historic data are used to support the Registration Request, and topossibly include the referred cultural reference in the list of the institute’s of cultural properties. The study analyses some ethnographic and historical data obtained by observing participants and collected during the 2014 and 2015 visits of Iphan’s technicians to Santo Antônio do Monte. The article reflects on considerations about how the process of mobilizing the social base takes place, the institutional dialogues between state and congadeiros, and the possible discontinuities of the policy.