Professor Lu in ‘Renascer’, Eli Ferreira tells why he left the evangelical church and converted to the African-based religion in Bahia

Eli Ferreira gives life to the sweet teacher Lu in “Renascer”, a soap opera that addresses different religions by featuring a priest, a pastor and a Candomblecista as important characters in the plot, which takes place in Bahia. It was also in Bahia that the actress, raised in the evangelical church since she was a child, saw her life undergo a transformation in 2022, when she had her first contact with a Candomblé terreiro. She, who practices the Ifá cult, details her transition process to an African-based religion and explains how this helped her forgive her father, who was completely absent from her upbringing.

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– I’m an Ifaist. I realized that religion was nothing like what I had heard about my entire life within the evangelical church, which I believe to be the most intolerant. Anything linked to Africa and black people is very distorted – says the actress, aware of many prejudices that are linked to African ancestry and its contemporary cultural, social and religious heritage.

The artist describes that “African-based religion does not impose false perfection, but teaches how to deal with the consequences”:

– It also talks about ancestry, the importance of worshiping nature and valuing our elders. I never heard about this for so many years in church.

Converted after a trip to Salvador, Eli describes feeling “safe, comfortable and welcomed” as an Ifaist. But it was not always so.

– When I left the evangelical church, my mother didn’t like it very much, as was to be expected. Initially, there were some doubts on her part. Either way, it wasn’t a big deal. If I am well resolved with myself, there is no pressure – says Eli about religion and his relationship with his evangelical mother, Jerusa Ferreira.

Regarding his father, with whom he didn’t speak for years, Eli says he sought him out because of his spirituality:

– I believe that we have to resolve things, otherwise the conflict will come in the next life. I made the decision to look for him because of this.