College of Salvador is attacked by student's mother after using anti-racist book in religion classes

Colégio Antônio Vieira, located in the Garcia neighborhood, in Salvador, was once again criticized for adopting books by black and non-Catholic authors. Through social media, the mother of a student expressed outrage upon learning that the book “Pequeno Manual Antirracista”, by writer Djamila Ribeiro, was being used in 8th grade religion classes.

In the post, the woman questioned the fact that the philosopher and researcher belonged to Candomblé. She also wrote that the use of the work constitutes “ideological imposition” and “open indoctrination”. The mother also stated that the school using the name of Father Antônio Vieira is “disrespectful to her memory”.

Djamila Ribeiro is one of the main Brazilian voices in defense of black people and women and was the author who sold the most books in Brazil in 2020, according to Amazon. “Small Anti-Racist Manual” appeared first in the ranking. In it, the writer deals with themes such as blackness, whiteness, culture, affections and racial violence, which has been considered a crime since 1989.

The attack had repercussions on the internet and was commented on by Djamila herself. “I congratulate the school for working to increase the awareness of students,” she said.

The author of the work also remembers that Salvador is the capital with the largest black population in Brazil and argued that the student's mother “needs to study the social and racial context of the country”.

Colégio Antônio Vieira is religious and one of the most traditional in the capital of Bahia. In a note sent to CNN , the institution said that it is necessary to guarantee respect for Brazil's religious cultural diversity. The book was chosen, according to general director Sérgio Silveira, for reinforcing Christian values.

“It is fair to say that Christians, due to their vocation, are also called upon to be anti-racist, to raise awareness and engage in combating and denouncing all forms of racism, both within the ecclesiastical context and in society in general” , states the text.

Other cases

In 2019, at the same educational institution, the book targeted for criticism was “Na Minha Pele”, by actor and director Lázaro Ramos. At the time, a publicist even called the work “trash”.

In 2023, the children's book Amoras, by Emicida, was the target of religious intolerance practiced by the mother of an elementary school student at the school. The pages of the book were crossed out with indications of biblical psalms, while information about orixás was indicated as “fake”.