Silvio de Almeida backtracks on appointment of babalorixá – 02/13/2023 – Mônica Bergamo

The Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio de Almeida, backtracked after appointing the babalorixá and researcher Sidnei Nogueira to assume the General Coordination of Religious Freedom, linked to the portfolio.

The nomination was published in the Official Gazette of the Union this Wednesday (8). Two days later, however, a new ordinance made the appointment void.

The babalorixá says he wasn’t expecting the change. “I was surprised by the announcement that I would be ‘unappointed’ for the position, for reasons beyond my control and unknown to me”, he says to the column.

The religious leader came to celebrate the news and said that the nomination had been agreed a month in advance. Sought, the ministry says that “there was an error regarding the nomenclature of the position” and, therefore, the ordinance was rendered ineffective.

“As soon as the correction is completed, a new ordinance will be published with the appointment in the corresponding position”, follows the statement.

Nogueira, on the other hand, states that the ministry now offered “a lower position [ao previamente acordado, de coordenador]” and that he does not intend to accept the offer. “It is beyond my training and my current career. And the new position makes it impossible for me to move to Brasilia.”

The babalorixá is a doctor in semiotics and author of the book “Religious Intolerance” (publisher Jandaíra, 2020).

He says he will continue “in defense of interfaith dialogue and against religious racism as I always have.” And he concludes: “I accepted the invitation because I understood that they had, in my name, adequate technical training and history”.

The babalorixá has already criticized former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro when the wife of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) made a speech against religions of African origin during the 2022 elections.

Michelle shared a post that claimed that then-candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) “gave his soul to win this election”. The text was accompanied by a video that showed the PT’s meetings with leaders of religions of African origin.

Sidnei Nogueira classified the attitude as irresponsible. “He is a personality with prestige, with legitimacy, with an expanded voice. He is not just anyone. He is a person associated with the Executive Branch,” he told the column at the time.

_{with BIANKA VIEIRA, KARINA MATIAS It is MANOELLA SMITH}

PRESENT LINK: Did you like this text? Subscriber can release five free hits of any link per day. Just click the blue F below.