Sacred performance: ritualized dramer in the Island of Príncipe

Abstract

The modern condition affects the way in which concepts which originated in the theological tradition have been appropriated by the social sciences. This text starts with the exploration of the questions raised by an attempt to define the notion of sacred. Subsequently, the notion is used in order to make sense of the semi-religious drama entitled Auto da Floripes staged by the creole population of the West African island of Príncipe. Finnaly, some observations are made concerning the relation between skin colour, moral order, domination, and sexuality in Portuguese culture and in the regions to which it spread.