11‑Metre Statue Honoring the Devil Erected at Quimbanda Temple in Ceará

Overview

• The 11‑metre statue was inaugurated during the Palácio Estrela Negra da Quimbanda’s 29th anniversary, an event held on July 25 and attended by the temple’s community.
• Mãe Rainha das Trevas says she paid more than R$100,000 for the work and built the sculpture on her private property inside the Palácio grounds.
• Local and state officials told reporters that the construction received a municipal building permit and an environmental license after state authorization for work inside the dune protected area.
• The leader’s social media posts about the unveiling reached a large audience — she has about 800,000 Instagram followers — and drew both supportive messages from followers and prejudiced attacks from other users.
• Reporters note the statue sits within the wider context of Quimbanda’s marginalization, the palace’s monthly rituals that gather 200–300 people, and Brazil’s legal protections against religious intolerance that could shape any formal complaints or policing of threats.