Capoeira is perhaps the expression of what is most Brazilian in terms of physical activity, since it is a fight created in Brazil by slaves of African origin. This is so significant that abroad capoeira is known as “brazilian martial art”, or Brazilian martial art. Because it is practiced in groups and accompanied by constant music that imposes rhythm to the movements, many people confuse it with a game or some kind of dance, but as Mestre Pastinha said: “Capoeira Angola is, above all, fight, and fight violent”.
The term capoeira means "the bush that is born after deforestation", probably because it was practiced among these bushes, with the fighters close to the ground, so as not to be discovered by their gentlemen. It must be said that at that time capoeira was a prohibited practice, because with slaves training their form of self-defense, could bring problems to those who considered themselves their “owners”. However, although prohibited, capoeira has never ceased to be practiced and taught.
In its original form, as already mentioned, capoeira was a slow fight played very close to the ground, very different from that capoeira that is taught in gyms or played on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro: capoeira regional. It was in the mid-twentieth century that this rupture took place, resulting in the practice of capoeira angola practically restricted to the ghettos of Bahia. Regional capoeira has more acrobatic movements, is played standing up and has specific rules, a characteristic element of a sport. Another important difference between these two types of capoeira is the way in which a member becomes a master: in regional capoeira, according to the practitioners will develop their skills better, learning different moves and thinking about these moves, they will be graded by middle of a cord, in which each color represents a stage in which the practitioner is classified, so he will acquire new cords until become a master. In capoeira Angola, the process is quite different: after many years of practice and dedication to the master and the capoeira, the practitioner receives a handkerchief from the master, which represents that this disciple is ready to be teacher. Thus, in Angolan capoeira, the formation of the master depends exclusively on the will of the master who teaches.
Another important feature of capoeira is music. The music is always played by members of the circle who take turns, and is accompanied by a fundamental rule: members of the circle must always respond to singing, also called litany. The litanies are accompanied by the playing of some instruments: tambourine, atabaque, caxixi, agogô and reco-reco.
Perhaps, the most interesting of the litanies are the lyrics that refer to the daily life of slaves, to the moment of capoeira circle, to the gods of Candomblé (religion of African origin) and Catholicism, and to the relationship between man and woman. Here are some examples:
•“I'm going to tell my master that the butter spilled/The butter is not mine/The butter is yo-yo” (daily litany, remembering the slaves who worked in the kitchen);
•“Oi yes yes yes / Oi no no no” (round litany, sung for when the fight is tied);
•“Salomé, Salomé/ I've seen a bearded man be beaten by a woman” (round litany, sung for when a man is losing a woman);
•“Sai sai Catarina/ Get out of the sea come and see Idalina” (religious litany in honor of Iemanjá);
It is clear, then, that capoeira is much more than a simple physical activity: it is a defining element of Brazilian identity. It combines religiosity, body movement, music and history, all in a single practice. That's why, when your teacher is going to teach capoeira to your class, make sure he doesn't just teach the movements, but that he also addresses the cultural context in which these movements are involved, so his class will be much more complete.
And to finish the text, the litany with which capoeira roda ends:
“Goodbye, goodbye / Happy trip / I'm leaving / Happy trip / I'm going with God /
And Our Lady”.
By Paula Rondinelli
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Physical Education from the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – UNESP
Master in Motricity Sciences from the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” – UNESP
Doctoral Student in Integration of Latin America at the University of São Paulo - USP
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/educacao-fisica/capoeira.htm
