The history of capoeira
The history of capoeira
Here we present to you a summary course of the history of Brazil and capoeira. At the bottom of the page, we offer links and resources that we used to create this site, to develop and deepen certain passages.
In the 16th century,
Portuguese colonists deported African slaves in order to exploit the riches of Brazilian soil. To better enslave them, they separated individuals from the same family and the same tribe. Thus each group included a mixture of different languages, cultures, customs and traditions.
Unable to understand each other, the slaves were forced to communicate in the language of their enslavers: Portuguese. Their cults and rites were prohibited as well as anything that could have been a means of alliance and revolt. Yet the colonists could not completely quench the slaves' thirst for freedom, and in this context, capoeira emerged. It represents the meeting of cultures, rituals, music and combat techniques, all masked in a dance.
Unable to understand each other, the slaves were forced to communicate in the language of their enslavers: Portuguese. Their cults and rites were prohibited as well as anything that could have been a means of alliance and revolt. Yet the colonists could not completely quench the slaves' thirst for freedom, and in this context, capoeira emerged. It represents the meeting of cultures, rituals, music and combat techniques, all masked in a dance.
At the beginning of the 17th century,
some slaves rebelled and gathered in camps called “Quilombos”. Some quilombos brought together more than 30,000 fugitives. The leaders of the rebels contributed greatly to the development of capoeira which became a weapon against the colonists. Thus, at the turn of the 18th century, the repression of capoeira began. In 1780, the word “capoeiragem” appeared in police records and worried the authorities. The reprimands were severe, anyone caught doing capoeira was locked up, seriously mutilated, or even killed on the spot.
In 1888,
slavery is abolished in Brazil but capoeira remains prohibited. Freedmen who did not have the education necessary to integrate into society turned to banditry. Capoeira becomes a practice of criminals. Criminals attach razor blades to their toes in order to deliver fatal blows. Capoeira was then disowned by some of its initiates and yet, in the shadows, it survived until 1937.
President Vargas revokes the ban law and authorizes the practice of capoeira within academies. It was at this moment that two great “Mestres” appeared in capoeira:
President Vargas revokes the ban law and authorizes the practice of capoeira within academies. It was at this moment that two great “Mestres” appeared in capoeira:
Master Bimba (Manoel dos Reis Machado)
(1900-1974), the son of Luiz Cândido Machado and Maria Marinha do Bonfim, was born on November 23, 1900, in the neighborhood of “Engenho Velho”, Freguesia de Brotas, of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. The nickname “Bimba” comes from a bet between his mother and the midwife. The first thought she would have a girl while the midwife was sure it would be a boy. At the birth, the mother asked who had won the bet and the midwife replied “It's a bimba, Mrs. Martinha”. The word “bimba” in Portuguese refers to the male genital organ of babies.
Bimba began doing Capoeira at the age of 12, with a Master of African descent named Bentinho, captain of the Bahia Shipping Company. Four years later Bimba began teaching Capoeira Angola to company employees in the ports of Bahia. Regional Capoeira emerged from the merger of Capoeira Angola with Batuque, a fight that Bimba had learned from his father, champion of the State of Bahia. This new form of Capoeira was called “Bahia Regional Wrestling”. Bimba then sought to prove his effectiveness not only against other capoeiristas and aggressive police officers but also and mainly, by launching a challenge to other known representatives of all types of struggles. He won all the tournaments, the one that lasted the longest not exceeding 1 minute and 10 seconds. The newspapers of Bahia recounted his exploits, emphasizing his courage and tenacity. With the expansion of the sport beyond the confines of Salvador, wrestling came to be called "Regional Capoeira." In 1932 Mestre Bimba founded his first regional Capoeira academy, in the “Engenho Velho de Brotas” of Salvador, called the “Regional Physical Cultural Center of Bahia”.
In 1937 he managed to register his academy with the Secretariat of Education, Health and Public Assistance of Salvador, in recognition of his work.
In 1942 he founded his second academy in Terreiro de Jesus. Disappointed by the lack of support from the public authorities of Bahia and trusting in the promises of his student Oswaldo de Souza, who gave lessons in Goiana, Bimba left for this capital in January 1973, sure of finding a more dignified life there.
On February 5, 1974, at the Goiania Hospital, Master Bimba died, victim of a stroke, with the bitterness of betrayals, the disappointment of the lack of support received, and financial difficulties.
Rules of Mestre Bimba
Bimba began doing Capoeira at the age of 12, with a Master of African descent named Bentinho, captain of the Bahia Shipping Company. Four years later Bimba began teaching Capoeira Angola to company employees in the ports of Bahia. Regional Capoeira emerged from the merger of Capoeira Angola with Batuque, a fight that Bimba had learned from his father, champion of the State of Bahia. This new form of Capoeira was called “Bahia Regional Wrestling”. Bimba then sought to prove his effectiveness not only against other capoeiristas and aggressive police officers but also and mainly, by launching a challenge to other known representatives of all types of struggles. He won all the tournaments, the one that lasted the longest not exceeding 1 minute and 10 seconds. The newspapers of Bahia recounted his exploits, emphasizing his courage and tenacity. With the expansion of the sport beyond the confines of Salvador, wrestling came to be called "Regional Capoeira." In 1932 Mestre Bimba founded his first regional Capoeira academy, in the “Engenho Velho de Brotas” of Salvador, called the “Regional Physical Cultural Center of Bahia”.
In 1937 he managed to register his academy with the Secretariat of Education, Health and Public Assistance of Salvador, in recognition of his work.
In 1942 he founded his second academy in Terreiro de Jesus. Disappointed by the lack of support from the public authorities of Bahia and trusting in the promises of his student Oswaldo de Souza, who gave lessons in Goiana, Bimba left for this capital in January 1973, sure of finding a more dignified life there.
On February 5, 1974, at the Goiania Hospital, Master Bimba died, victim of a stroke, with the bitterness of betrayals, the disappointment of the lack of support received, and financial difficulties.
Master Pastinha (Vicente Ferreira Pastinha)
was born in 1889, son of the Spaniard José Señor Pastinha and Doña Maria Eugenia Ferreira.
His father was a merchant, owner of a small grocery store in the historic center of Salvador. His mother, with whom he had little contact, was a black woman from Santo Amaro da Purificação who was a washerwoman and sold acarajé. He learned about Capoeira at the age of eight, initiated by an African called Uncle Benedito, who decided to teach him his art by seeing him fight against another boy much bigger than him. Pastinha spent every afternoon training on the street of Tijolo in Salvador. This is where he learned to be an overcomer. He lived a happy childhood, although poor and modest, attending morning classes at the arts high school where he learned to paint. In the afternoon he trained in capoeira. At thirteen he was the most respected boy in the neighborhood. His parents enrolled him in apprentice sailor school, not wanting them to continue capoeira which they felt was for vagabonds. He then discovered the secrets of the sea while teaching capoeira to his friends. At the age of 21, he returned to Salvador, deciding to dedicate himself to painting. In his free time, he trained in Capoeira in secret, as its practice was still a crime at the turn of the century. In 1941 he founded the Capoeira Angola Sports Center, in Pelourinho. This was his first Capoeira academy. His students' uniform was black pants and a yellow shirt. Pastinha worked extensively to promote Capoeira, representing Brazil and the black art in various countries. At 84, ill and physically reduced, he went to live in a small room in Pelourinho with his second wife, Doña Maria Romélia. He had to abandon the former headquarters of the academy due to financial problems. His only income came from the acarajé his wife sold. In April 1981, he participated in the last roda of his life. On Friday, November 13, 1981, Mestre Pastinha died at age 92, blind and paralyzed, of a heart attack.
His father was a merchant, owner of a small grocery store in the historic center of Salvador. His mother, with whom he had little contact, was a black woman from Santo Amaro da Purificação who was a washerwoman and sold acarajé. He learned about Capoeira at the age of eight, initiated by an African called Uncle Benedito, who decided to teach him his art by seeing him fight against another boy much bigger than him. Pastinha spent every afternoon training on the street of Tijolo in Salvador. This is where he learned to be an overcomer. He lived a happy childhood, although poor and modest, attending morning classes at the arts high school where he learned to paint. In the afternoon he trained in capoeira. At thirteen he was the most respected boy in the neighborhood. His parents enrolled him in apprentice sailor school, not wanting them to continue capoeira which they felt was for vagabonds. He then discovered the secrets of the sea while teaching capoeira to his friends. At the age of 21, he returned to Salvador, deciding to dedicate himself to painting. In his free time, he trained in Capoeira in secret, as its practice was still a crime at the turn of the century. In 1941 he founded the Capoeira Angola Sports Center, in Pelourinho. This was his first Capoeira academy. His students' uniform was black pants and a yellow shirt. Pastinha worked extensively to promote Capoeira, representing Brazil and the black art in various countries. At 84, ill and physically reduced, he went to live in a small room in Pelourinho with his second wife, Doña Maria Romélia. He had to abandon the former headquarters of the academy due to financial problems. His only income came from the acarajé his wife sold. In April 1981, he participated in the last roda of his life. On Friday, November 13, 1981, Mestre Pastinha died at age 92, blind and paralyzed, of a heart attack.
The great characters
There are a multitude of characters in the world of capoeira, who have marked developments in the practice but also in the culture and history of the country, such as:
Zumbi dos Palmares (1655-1695)
Manduca da Praia (1850s)
Besouro Manganga (1885-1924)
Manduca da Praia (1850s)
Besouro Manganga (1885-1924)
Lampião (1900-1938)
Maester Waldemar (1916-1990)
Maester Ezequiel (1942-1997)
Maester Waldemar (1916-1990)
Maester Ezequiel (1942-1997)
Mestre Joao Pequeno (1917 - 2011)
Mestre João Grande (1933 - ...)
...
It's the 1950s
that capoeira is experiencing considerable growth. Barely 20 years later, already spread throughout Brazil, it is gaining followers throughout Europe and the United States within numerous groups.
At the beginning of the 1960s, three capoeiristas trained together in the neighborhoods of Rio. They will form a group which will be called, a few years later, Senzala. In 1966 was the first official presentation of the group. The Senzala group will set up the rank and rope system and this marks the beginning of the expansion of capoeira in the world.
For a long time
banned then tolerated, it was only on July 15, 2008 that capoeira officially became part of Brazil's cultural heritage.
To go further, we advise you:
The book written by Mestre Bem Ti Vi: “Capoeira revealed”.
http://www.capoeiranocorpo.com/un-peu-dhistoire
http://www.capoeira-paris.org/capoeira.php
...
