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(HKR-07-08-25) Hard Knock Radio: Dr. Umi Vaughan on “Silencing the Drum” and Afro-Brazilian Religious Resistance

On this episode of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sits down with author, scholar, and cultural anthropologist Dr. Umi Vaughan to discuss his new book Silencing the Drum: Religious Racism and Afro-Brazilian Sacred Music (Amherst College Press), co-authored with Dr. Danielle Boaz. The conversation unpacks the ongoing attacks on Afro-Brazilian religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda, and the broader war on Black cultural expression in Brazil.

Dr. Vaughan explains how these spiritual traditions, rooted in West and Central African practices, use music—particularly drumming—as a central form of worship, healing, and cultural memory. The drum, or atabaque, is not just an instrument but a conduit to ancestral spirit, community connection, and divine presence.

Despite Brazil’s celebration of its Afro-cultural roots in tourism and festivals like Carnaval, the communities that birthed these traditions face discrimination, violence, and criminalization. The book opens with the shocking assassination of a Candomblé priestess inside her temple—just one example of escalating attacks on Afro-Brazilian practitioners by Evangelical extremists, law enforcement, and vigilante groups emboldened under former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Davey D and Dr. Vaughan explore the contradictions of a nation that profits off Black culture but persecutes those who live it. From noise ordinance laws weaponized against sacred drumming, to raids on terreiros (spiritual temples), Vaughan highlights how colonial mindsets and religious racism continue to suppress African identity under the guise of public health, morality, or Christian supremacy.

Yet, the book also centers resilience. Vaughan shares stories of ingenuity, like a priestess who blasted Christian music outside her temple while conducting sacred rituals inside. These creative forms of resistance reflect a long history of survival, adaptation, and spiritual defiance in the face of repression.

The interview also touches on Umbanda’s complex mix of African, Christian, and Indigenous elements, and the ways in which race and class play out within these religious spaces. Vaughan notes ongoing tensions around “religious gentrification,” where lighter-skinned or foreign practitioners claim cultural authority by accessing African traditions directly, often sidelining the Black Brazilian women who’ve held these practices down for centuries.

Looking ahead, Vaughan sees a glimmer of hope under the new Lula administration, which has embraced cultural inclusion, even appointing a Minister of Culture connected to Afro-Brazilian traditions. But he warns that the struggle isn’t over. “What’s happening in Brazil is a warning,” he says. “If we’re not careful, the same silencing can happen here.”

Vaughan urges listeners to read the book, reflect on what cultural practices they would fight to protect, and support grassroots efforts like Coletivo Merê. “This isn’t just about Brazil,” he says. “It’s about global Black survival and the right to be whole.”

You can purchase the book here https://services.publishing.umich.edu/Books/S/Silencing-the-Drum3

HKR-07-08-25 Dr Umi Vaughan The Silencing of Drums in Brazil

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