Capoeira

• What is Capoeira?
• Brief History
• Mestre Bimba
• Mestre Pastinha
• Music
• Philosophy, Malicia and Mandinga
• Suggested further Reading

What is Capoeira ?

Capoeira is a fun and exciting sport. It incorporates Fight, Game, and Dance. It is an expression of freedom, a way to build physical, mental, spiritual,strength and balance. It is self-defence technique, acrobatics, a celebration and preservation of Afro-Brazilian culture and a form of expression in a time of oppression.

Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art. Capoeira is fight, dance, game, self-defense, gymnastics, folklore, art, education, history, physical education, pleasure, fun and therapy. Capoeira is the combination of dance, fight and game.

–Mestre Suino, founder of Grupo Candeias de Capoeira

Brief History

Capoeira developed as a result of over 400 years of slavery in Brazil. Many Africans were taken from their homeland in Africa and brought to Brazil as slaves by the Portuguese colonists, but their culture and desire for freedom could not be taken away.

In a time of oppression with a burning desire for freedom growing the slaves began to develop techniques to defend themselves or for escape, but as the slaves were not allowed to practice martial arts, the art had to be disguised with dance and music. Although it appeared to be a harmless dance, the slaves were practicing a deadly fighting technique.

Mestre Bimba (1900-1974)

Manuel dos Reis Machado (1900-1974), known as Mestre Bimba was born in November 23rd, 1900 in the Bairro do Engenho Velho in Salvador Bahia Brazil. He was the son of Luiz Candido Machado and Maria Martinha do Bonfin. His nickname “Bimba” came up due to a bet between his mother and the midwife during his birth; his mother bet that he was going to be a girl and the midwife bet that he would be a boy. After he was delivered, the midwife said “it’s a boy, look at his ‘Bimba’” (male sexual organ).

Mestre Bimba started capoeira at the age of 12 at Estrada das Boiadas today Bairro da Liberdade in Salvador Bahia. He was taught by Bentinho, an African that used to be a navigation captain. Mestre Bimba became very proficient in Batuque which he learned from his father, he later mastered Capoeira Angola, combining these two art forms he created the Capoeira Regional and the “sequence”, a learning process that was non-existent in Capoeira until it’s introduction by Mestre Bimba.

In 1932 he founded the first specialised academy, in engenho velho de brotas, on 9th June 1937 he registered his capoeira school with the secretary of education, health and public assistance, hence becoming the first authorised academy to teach capoeira. which was previously only practiced and played on the streets.

In 1939 Mestre bimba taught capoeira Regional in the army base of the CPOR. He established his second academy in 1942. On 23rd of July 1953 when President Getulio Vargas watched in the “Palacio da Aclamacao”, together with Dr Regis Pacheco, then Governor of Bahia, a demonstration of Capoeira Regional by Mestre Bimba, the President Getulio Vargas confirmed that capoeira was unique and truly a national sport.

In 1973 Mestre Bimba moved to the city of Goiania, Goias in order to teach Capoeira Regional in February, 1974 he died victim of stroke followed by a heart attack. Four years later, at the request of his former students the remaining of his body was brought back to Salvador, where they lie in a tomb build specially for him in a public square.

Mestre pastinha (1889-1981)

Vicente Ferreira Pastinha, son of Jose Senor Pastinha and Raimuda dos Santos. Mestre Pastinha was bourn an April 05th, 1889, in Salvador Bahia Brazil . He began capoeira at the age of 10 with Negro Bentinho, who had watched Mestre Pastinha through his window, losing fights to a boy older than him, this made Negro bentinho decide to teach Pastinha how to use the movement of entrances and escapes of capoeira.

Mestre Pastinha did a little bit of everything, he joined the marines for 8 years, he was a painter, a poet, practiced fencing, played soccer was a shoe shiner, a philosopher, a tailor, security at a casino, a music composer but he always felt a strong attraction in his heart to capoeira. When asked what the importance of capoeira was for him he answered : “I was born for capoeira, I love to play capoeira it’s the only thing i will be left with when i die.”

In 1910, when Mestre Pastinha was 21 years old he opened his first academy in a place called bigode in campo da polvora, in 1941 he moved his academy to large space in the historical centre of pelourinho. Mestre Pastinha adopted the colours black and yellow, for his capoeira uniform, those were the colours of his favourite soccer team ypiranga. It was there, in his academy in pelourinho, that Mestre Pastinha taught his technique and wisdom.

He showed capoeira to tourists from all over the world. In 1964 with the help of his good friend and famous author, Jorge Amado, Mestre Pastinha published his first book called Capoeira Angola. Mestre Pastinha represented Capoeira in Various states of Brazil and formed part of the delegation that represented Brazil in the first festival of black art in Senegal, Africa in 1966.

In 1973 at 84 years of age, Mestre Pastinha already famous within and outside of Brazil, was kicked out of the space he had used for his academy for 32 years by the state government. They transformed what had been a rich and strong centre of capoeira into a resturant. This expropriation was the most difficult time for Mestre Pastinha, he was forced to move out of his academy with his wife, daughter and three grandchildren, to a small room in Alfredo Brito street where he lived his last years forgotten, he expressed his frustration in this words : “this wooden bench is all that I have. Today I am convinced that I was tricked, I gave it my all but the truth is that I was used, no matter what, if I were to be born again, I would choose the same life, Capoeira.”

His wife Maria Romelia Costa took care of him until he died. Mestre Pastinha had his first stroke on may 1978 and a second one a month later. In 1980 he was transferred to Dom Pedro P a house for senior citizens, there with many other old people and his wife Mestre Pastinha died on November 13, 1981. During his funeral to accompany him in his final dream, the soft sound of berimbaus were played.

Music

(This section by Marimbando (Niall), Candeias Ireland). Further info on Capoeira music available on Wikipedia.

Music is an absolutely fundamental aspect of capoeira. The berimbau, a one stringed African instrument, is chief. It determines the tempo and rhythm of the music. There are three types of berimbau, (gunga, medio and viola) which differ in pitch. Other instruments used are the pandeiro [tambourine], atabaque [drum], and agogo [bell]. The capoeiristas move to the rhythm of the music and its speed dictates that of the jogo. The energy generated by the music and singing in a roda is essential to the flow of the game, and its importance in capoeira cannot be overstated.

Capoeira songs, sung in Portuguese, usually relate to either the action or players in the roda, philosophy, Nature, or capoeira folklore. The participants in the roda clap hands in time with the music and respond to the main vocalist’s verses.

Several different toques [rhythms] are commonly heard in capoeira rodas. Each dictates a different style or mood of game. Toque de Angola (or Sao Bento Grande de Angola), the slowest, is played for a game of Angola, while Sao Bento Grande de Regional is for faster games of Capoeria Regional. Somewhere between these two extremes of tempo are Banguela and Sao Bento Pequeno. Cavalaria is a rhythm that imitates a horse’s gallop, its purpose used to be to warn capoeiristas of approaching police. Other common toques are Iuna (for graduated students), Muidinho, Santa Maria, and Amazonas.

Philosophy, Malicia and Mandinga

To play capoeira involves more than just music and movements of the body. It entails mental as well as physical dexterity, and the jogo between two players is said to be a metaphor for human interaction (a conversation between two bodies). The roda becomes a place where one can express and measure oneself, and at its highest level capoeira can become akin to a spiritual practise. Capoeira also teaches lessons that apply to areas of life outside the roda.

Malicia means shrewdness or craftiness / sneakiness. In capoeira malicia means to be perceptive, always aware of your opponents strengths, weaknesses and actions, and to use this awareness in your favour. It entails, for example, choosing suitable responses to an opponent/partners golpes [attacks], hiding your intentions, launching surprise counter-attacks and appearing weaker than you really are in order to give a false sense of security.

Mandinga means magic or sorcery. Mystical deities and energies (Orixas) were sometimes associated with the practise of capoeira and referred to in its songs and rituals. In a process that somewhat echoes the origin of capoeira, when the slaves were forced to adopt Catholicism they hid the worship of their old gods, and the syncretic African religion known as Candomble arose, is widely practised in Brazil. Some capoeira songs allude to Catholic saints that signify their counterparts in Candomble. There are fables of capoeiristas in the old day who could, using mandinga, become invulnerable to weapons (corpo fechado, or “closed body”), disappear suddenly, or transform themselves into animals.

Suggested Further Reading

The Little Capoeira Book – Nestor Capoeira [Amazon] [Google Books]

Capoeira, Roots of the Dance-Fight-Game – Nestor Capoeira [Amazon] [Google Books]

Capoeira, a Brazilian Art Form – Mestre Accordeon [Amazon] [Google Books]

Capoeira: History, Philosophy, Practice – Mestre Accordeon [Amazon] [Google Books]

The Saga of Mestre Bimba – Mestre Itapoan [Capoeira Arts]