Capoeira

Three berimbaus – gunga, médio and viola –, atabaque, pandeiro and reco-reco: with these instruments a capoeira bateria is formed. A mix of fight and game that developed most effectively in the early nineteenth century, the sport is still practiced today in every corner of Rio de Janeiro, attracting people of different ages, genders and social classes. In 2014, capoeira was recognized by Unesco as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Brazil.

It is not possible to establish the exact place of origin of this fight-game, but some of the earliest records of capoeira in Rio de Janeiro date back to the first decade of the 19th century (very few exist from the 18th century). Some European travelers took care to document this practice of African origin in the colony, both in writing and through iconography. Such was the case of the German painter Johann Moritz Rugendas, who depicted what could be a capoeira game in the 1820s.

Image description: This is a colorful painting depicting a group of people dancing and playing instruments in a rural setting. The scene is set in front of a house with a yellow roof and windows with white curtains. On the right, there is a coconut tree with hanging fruit. In the center, a man dances with energetic movements, followed by other dancers and musicians. On the left, a man plays a drum while other people watch or take part in the celebration. The background features a green hill and a light blue sky.

Capoeira in Rio also appears in the records of the Intendência Geral de Polícia da Corte, created following the arrival of the Portuguese royal family in Brazil in 1808. The sport was considered a criminal activity until the 1930s, suffering from the intolerance that had also criminalized other cultural expressions of African origin. This revealed, on the part of the nation's ideological builders, a practice of stamping out the cultural heritage of Africans who had been enslaved since the 16th century.

Since the city had a very large Black population throughout the 19th century, it was common to see, in the streets, what the newspapers called maltas, that is, groups that brought together enslaved and freed people, Africans, crioulos (Black people born in Brazil), and poor immigrants, mainly Portuguese. The maltas spread throughout the parishes and engaged in petty theft, got into conflicts among themselves and with the police, causing panic among merchants and other people who viewed the practice with disapproval.

After much struggle and resistance, capoeira is now respected as a sporting practice and an element of Afro-Brazilian culture. In Rio de Janeiro, from the Zona Norte to the Zona Sul, passing through Centro and Zona Oeste, it is possible to find capoeira circles on different days and at different times.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of capoeira. From left to right, we see two men in action. The man in front is standing, with his knees bent and one arm resting on the ground. He wears white trousers and a white shirt with suspenders. The other man is lying on the ground, with his head tilted back and his arms outstretched. He wears a checked shirt and trousers. In the background, several people are sitting, watching the scene. Some have their backs turned, while others look directly at the action. The image is signed "Joaquim Rozenberg" in the bottom right corner.

The ways of playing known today are Capoeira Angola and Capoeira Regional, developed by masters from Bahia. The so-called ‘angoleiros’ claim theirs to be the traditional one, with few differences from the fight practiced by the first capoeiristas in the 19th century. Vicente Ferreira Pastinha, Mestre Pastinha, is the main master. Capoeira Regional, in turn, was created by Mestre Bimba, in the early years of the 20th century, and combines elements of Capoeira Angola with those of other fighting styles, including Eastern ones.

Angola and Regional sometimes come close to each other; at other times, they diverge. The former is a sinuous game, with many low sweeping strikes and the prevalence of mandinga – that swaying of the body that confuses the opponent. The practice is done in shoes and there is no exchange of cords. Capoeira Regional, on the other hand, is played barefoot, with an exchange of cords – with graduation ceremonies similar to the belt exchanges in Eastern martial arts – and the capoeiristas face each other standing, since high strikes are more prevalent among players.

Image description: This is a photograph of a group of people gathered in a place covered by a blue and gray structure. The spatial arrangement shows people seated in chairs, with some standing in the foreground. On the left, two women are seated, followed by three men standing. In the center, two men are in capoeira stance, apparently in a game or practice session. On the right, three more men are seated, followed by a standing man playing a percussion instrument. In the background, there is a panoramic view of urban buildings and a mountain.

Something the two styles have in common is respect for the berimbau, the atabaque, and the masters. Musicality is a fundamental part of capoeira: there is no roda without a bateria. Whenever a new player enters the center of the roda, it is essential to greet the musicians and the instruments. The songs played by the bateria dictate the rhythm of the matches, in which pairs face off showing off rabos de arraia, bênçãos, esquivas, and rasteiras.

Image description: This is a photograph of a group of people participating in a cultural activity. From left to right, we see children and adults holding traditional capoeira instruments. Behind them, there is a building with balconies and columns. Everyone is focused on their activities, wearing yellow clothing.

It's from this ultimate expression of orality that the warnings come, the tellings of episodes from our history, the requests to pacify the game, etc. – always in the form of music. Themes from Brazilian history are presented in the form of ladainhas and corridos, as in the lyrics of "Dona Isabel," by master Toni Vargas (Senzala group), an excerpt of which we reproduce below:

Dona Isabel que história é essa De ter feito a abolição De ser princesa boazinha Que libertou a escravidão To cansado de conversa To cansado de ilusão Abolição se fez com sangue Que inundava esse país Que o negro transformou em luta Cansado de ser infeliz