« I am baptized, confirmed, consecrated. Thank God! I am a practicing Catholic, which does not prevent me from taking care of my orixás (African deities of yoruba origin). » - Mother Maria Perfect example of syncretism, the umbanda is a mixture of Christianity, African spirituality, with Amerindian elements. As a slave religion, the umbanda has been, and still is, frequently denigrated. Today, the evangelical movements, which flourish in Brazil, are virulently opposed. Helvécia, Bahia, Brazil, June 2016.