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Gildásia dos Santos (October 3rd, 1935-January 21, 2000), better known as Mãe Gilda de Ogum or Yalorixá Gildásia dos Santos e Santos, was a Brazilian social activist and religious leader from the state of Bahia, in Brazil. Santos is known for having been the founder of the Axé Abassa de Ogum, a Terreiro of Candomblé in Itapuã, Salvador. Santos is also well-known for her connection with the Day to Combat Religious Intolerance, a holiday commemorating her death after having suffered an attack against her religious center. The attack on the religious center came in the form of members from the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God) invading the religious center, physically and verbally abusing its practicing members. Said attack came after a smear campaign had begun the previous year in the Folha Universal, a journal published and distributed by the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus. The journal claimed that Mãe Gilda had “tricked” local believers, published with a tampered photo of Santos with the title of “charlatan”. Following the death of Santos, the Axé Abassa de Ogum religious center passed down to the daughter of Santos, Jaciara Ribeiro dos Santos, who filed suit against the church responsible for the smear campaign. The holiday honoring the death of Mãe Gilda and religious tolerance is commemorated each 21st of January, the anniversary of her death. The day is meant to bring religions together and fight for greater tolerance amongst Brazilians, regardless of faith.

Death

Yalorixá Gildásia dos Santos, better known as Mãe Gilda de Ogum, died in the year 2000. She ultimately died from a massive heart attack. Her death was sudden and caused by unnatural reasons such as being attacked by a few newspapers due to her religious beliefs. The newspaper Folha Universal was the main newspaper that attacked Mãe Gilda. This newspaper was written by a church called A Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus which wrote an article accusing Mãe Gilda of hurting people’s lives and stealing from them. The newspaper attacked Mãe Gilda personally, but was an attack against all people who had the same religious beliefs.

Legacy

Religious leader and social activist, Mãe Gilda de Ogum, stood out for her personality strong and large participation in actions to improve the neighborhood of Nova Brasília in Itapuã. She participated in public demonstrations and won rights that met the demand of the neighborhood where she lived, in addition to the specific needs of the black population. Due to the size of the movement, it became an excellent blueprint that exemplified the struggle for every Brazilian to have the right to express their own faith, according to their beliefs and/or philosophies[8]. After her death on January 21, 2000 Mãe Gilda de Ogum’s work did not stop. She quickly became the face of the fight against religious intolerance inspiring many other movements and religious protections. During Black November, there are very important celebrations for important African leaders,including Mãe Gilda. In her honor in 2007, the Law 11.365 was created, to enshrine January 21 as the National Day to Combat Religious Intolerance. On this date people of different creeds, races, ethnicities, and gender celebrate another step in favor of human religious tolerance and share ideas to make it possible to confront religious intolerance. There is a statue located in Salvador, Brazil in honor of Yalorixá Gildásia dos Santos e Santos (Salvador, October 3, 1935 – January 21, 2000). Mãe Gilda de Ogum, who became a symbol of resistance for religions of African origin, after the sacred land of Ylê Axé Abassá de Ogum, had been invaded and plundered by representatives of other religions. Since the passing of Mãe Gilda, her daughter Jaciara Ribeiro dos Santos, better known currently as Mãe Jaciara, has continued in her footsteps as a community religious leader and social activist. Mãe Jaciara is the current religious leader of the Axé Abassa de Ogum religious center and is active in community religious events. Mãe Jaciara has also become a voice against racism in the local community, including protesting after a nearby lagoon was to be renamed, erasing the name of a well-known spiritual figure in Candomblé.