Dona Maria Romélia da Costa de Oliveira e a coleção autobiográfica do Mestre Vicente Joaquim Ferreira Pastinha no Museu Afro-Brasileiro da UFBA

Abstract

This article, elaborated into the spaces of creation offered by literature, sought to highlight aspects of the life of a baiana de acarajé, named Maria Romélia da Costa de Oliveira. Like so many other Black women in the territories of the forced diasporas of the Americas she exercised the silent role of responsible for the care of her companion, Mestre Pastinha. Dona Romélia fulfilled a mission she received in a dream: “Take care of this man”.  She cared for him in three important moments: in his last years of life, in the dignified burial he got, and in the care with his collection of objects and documents, which were donated to the Afro-Brazilian Museum of the Federal University of Bahia. Her gesture transformed a private collection into a museum collection that goes beyond individual story intertwining with the universe of local, national and international capoeira.