Proliferação da desinformação sobre religiões de matriz africana no Brasil: desafios para a Ciência da Informação

Abstract

This paper investigates the impacts of disinformation and fake news on African-based religions in Brazil, such as Candomblé, Umbanda, Quimbanda, Ifá, and Vodum. These religious manifestations have been constant targets of both symbolic and material attacks, reinforced by misleading content disseminated especially through social media and hegemonic religious discourses. The research aims to highlight how Information Science can contribute to combating disinformation and promoting religious freedom. Using the bibliographic review methodology, the study analyzes statistical data, as well as media and academic reports, that demonstrate the effects of religious intolerance and religious racism in the daily lives of practitioners of these religions. The results indicate that disinformation is intertwined with colonial and Eurocentric power structures, contributing to the erasure of Afro-Brazilian ancestral knowledge and the perpetuation of symbolic violence. The paper reaffirms the importance of an ethical and anti-racist approach in the field of information.