Ivete Sangalo and Claudia Leitte stop following each other on social networks after controversy involving music

An alleged case of religious intolerance in a song by Claudia Leitte continues to generate controversy. The axé singer stopped following (and being followed) by Ivete Sangalo on Instagram, weeks after the case gained momentum on the networks.

This fact highlights a gap between the two biggest names in the genre – traditionally linked to Afro-Brazilian culture.

As found out F5although the two no longer follow each other on Meta’s social network, Claudia still follows Ivete on ‘X’. Ivete, however, no longer follows her axé colleague, while she continues to follow other names in the genre.

The two, who have already recorded the song “Lambada” together, rose in music in Salvador –although Leitte is from Rio–, the birthplace of the genre. In recent days, internet users have interpreted that Ivete was displeased with her colleague’s decision to change a part of the song “Caranguejo”.

In one of her last shows, instead of saying “saluting Queen Iemanjá”, she sang “I sing my king Yeshua”, which means Jesus in Hebrew.

The change was criticized by Salvador’s Secretary of Culture, Pedro Tourinho, who accused the singer of religious racism. Ivete liked Tourinho’s comment, but then removed the like.

Even without mentioning names, Tourinho said the following about the episode: “When an artist says he is part of this movement, he salutes the black people and their culture, he reveres their percussion and musicality, he is successful and makes a lot of money from it, but suddenly, chooses to rewrite history and remove the name of Orixás from the songs, make no mistake: the name of that is racism.”

INQUIRY AT THE PUBLIC PROSECUTION OFFICE

Claudia Leitte was accused of committing religious intolerance in a representation received by the Public Ministry of Bahia.

The representation calls the change in the song’s lyrics “defamatory, degrading and discriminatory conduct.” It was made by lawyer Hédio Silva Jr., executive coordinator of the Institute for the Defense of the Rights of Afro-Brazilian Religions (Idafro), and by Jaciara Ribeiro, priestess of the Ilê Axé Abassa de Ogum terreiro.

The Public Ministry scheduled a public hearing for the case on January 27th. If the MP considers it pertinent, the presence of the composers of “Caranguejo” may also be requested.

On the 19th, a civil inquiry was opened to investigate the artist for allegedly committing religious intolerance. The information was confirmed to Folha by prosecutor Lívia Sant’Anna Vaz, representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to Combat Racism and Religious Intolerance.

When contacted, Claudia Leitte’s press office did not comment on the case.