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Purification

Photographer

João Coelho

Category

Editorial Photography - Documentary

Company

Submission Group

Amateur

Year

2024

Country / Region

Portugal

On a deserted beach north of Luanda, the capital of Angola, a group of believers gather with their Pastor to perform the Liberation Cult. Men, women and young people anxiously await the moment they will be freed from the evil spirits that have taken hold of them. The act of liberation is extremely dramatic. The Pastor places his hands on the heads of the possessed while invoking Satan, ordering him in a loud and incisive voice to leave the body of the faithful. The liberation is only complete with the Purification, when the faithful dive into the waters of the sea and the Pastor places his hands on their heads again, declaring that they are pure again. On this day, the beach witnessed a merciless battle against evil, a fight waged with weapons that no human science can explain.

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