Looking at two rituals involving summoning of spirits through music and dance, both of which are fundamentally African, one would expect very similar ceremonies. However, despite the African commonality between Brazilian candomblé and Zimbabwean Shona bira, the ostensible similarity between the two ceremonies is purely on the surface. Candomblé is based on belief systems from a part of Africa that is nowhere near where the Shona live. Although the candomblé ritual of Brazil is largely modeled on African belief systems and rituals, the geographic distance between Western/Central Africa and the southeast African home to the Shona creates some crucial differences between the two rituals.

Perhaps the central element of both ceremonies is the idea of contacting spirits. While the Shona bira is focused around contacting deceased ancestors, typically for social guidance and counseling through the possession of a medium, the Afro-Brazilian candomblé involves contacting orixás, or African deities, and is…