London, UK: Encounter Celebrating Women

  

London Capoeira Encounter
Celebrating Women in Capoeira

March 4 – 5, 2011

Friday, March 4
7 – 10 pm
Gibbs Green Community Center, W14
(West Kensington Tube)
Training & Roda followed by fruit & other treats
(requested £ contribution)

Saturday, March 5
(1 – 8 pm)
The Thanet Centre, Herbert Street, NW5 4HD
(Chalk Farm Tube)
Movement & Music, 1 – 3 pm; Roda 3 – 5 pm
food, film and discussion to follow
£8


“Cada um e cada um. Ninguém luta do meu jeito”.
Mestre Pastinha

March is recognized as the time for everyone to remember the political role of women inbuilding a society with equal rights. In the world of Capoeira many groups take advantage of this moment to celebrate and reinforce the presence of women and their role in Capoeira. For the first time in London many different groups will be together doing the same thing.

Amazonas, Kabula, Marazul and Capoeira Angola London are offering this opportunity for the London Capoeira Community. It is not a event only for women. It is a event for Capoeristas and all the Community which feels that Capoeira movement is important. We will be connected with the old philosophy of Capoeira. Capoeira is for women, men and girls and boys. Come to visit us on the 4th and 5th of March. We will be together playing, singing, discussing, chatting, and celebrating.
  

Never-Before-Seen Photos of Capoeira & Brazil!

  

Elina, who has trained with FICA-Chicago and FICA-Bahia and is currently completing her PhD thesis on candomblé, sent out this link. Enjoy these great images:

Dear friends,

The Helinä Rautavaara Ethnographic museum in Finland has uploaded a large part of its collection of photographs on Candomblé, Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian culture in general from the 1960s and 1970s on the online portal of the Finnish National Board of Antiquities for public access.

Having received the link to the digital archive through Katri Hirvonen-Nurmi of the Helinä Rautavaara museum, where I used to work as well, I wanted to share it with with you.

The photos digitalized so far consist of black and white photographs taken by Helinä Rautavaara over her trips to Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s.

Primarily taken in Salvador, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in connection to her PhD research on Candomblé, the photo archive contains some real gems. I imagine that as the museum continues with the digitalization of its archives, more materials will be added to the portal.

Click here to access the archives.

I am also happy to pass on any questions or comments to her.

Enjoy!

Very best wishes,
Elina

The best way to search is to use free search field (On the top left corner). You can use boolean searches and cut the search word with an asterisk * (try: capoe*).

Thanks, Elina! These images are really amazing.
  

Remembering M Pastinha on His Birthday

  
On this day in 1889, Vicente Ferreira de Pastinha was born. He would have been 121 years old today. His spirits lives on in rodas held in his honor around the world today (and truly, every day).

In this wonderful excerpt from the book “Capoiera Angola - Ensaio Sócio Etnografico” written by the anthropologist and folklorist Waldeloir Rego, the author quotes a passage written by Jorge Amado, who talks about his dear friend Mestre Pastinha:

In the lovely and opportune chronicle, “Conversa com Buanga Fêlê, also known as Mário de Andrade, War Lord of Angola”, Jorge Amado returns to talk about Pastinha in this passage:

“I see myself leaning out a window of an old mansion in the Largo do Pelourinho and an older man, older than seventy years, with dimming eyesight, small and agile like a cat, is by my side and talks to me. We are old friends. I don’t even remember anymore when it was that we met and that I began accompanying his glorious trajectory.

This is one the mestres of popular Bahian culture, this black man with a soft voice and a happy face that has aged within his academy of Capoeira de Angola. He dancdes and fights better than any of the youngsters with hard adolescent muscles. I speak of Mestre Pastinha, one of the greatest capoeiristas that Bahia has produced. He is just finishing dancing a samba de Angola and is preparing himself to fight.

- Here – he tells me – I practice the true capoeira de Angola and here men learn to be loyal and just. The law of Angola, that I inherited from my grandparents, is the law of loyalty.

The berimbaus play their ritual music, calling the fighters. Mestre Pastinha fills the room with his presence, his agility, his halluncinating dance. Capoeira de Angola, the Brazilian fight of excellence.”

Pastinha is truly one of the great figures of popular life in Bahia. Of all the capoeiristas, he was the one that traveled the most to do presentations with his school, and he was one of the few to cross the Atlantic to the African continent as part of the delegation invited by the Brazilian Minister of External Relations to present at the Premier Festival International des Arts Nègres, in Dakar, in April of 1966.

Happy birthday, Mestre Pastinha!
  

Remembering M Pastinha on November 13

    

Mestre Pastinha passed away on this day (November 13) in 1981 in the city of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.

Let us remember him and celebrate his memory today - and every day - in our rodas and trainings all over the world. He lived his life to preserve what we enjoy today.

Here is a little memory of Pastinha, written by his great friend, the famous Bahian author, Jorge Amado. This comes from Amado's Bahia de Todos os Santos, a unique tour book of the city of Salvador that was published in 1941. Enjoy!

Mestre Vincente Pastinha is more than seventy years old. He is a small light-skinned man, of frightening agility, and uncommon strength. When he begins to “play”, everyone watching thinks, that poor old man with frizzy white hair will fall down in two minutes, knocked over by a young adversary or lack of his own breath. But, oh! There is much more to him than meets the eye! None of this happens. The adversaries come, one after the other, one young man, then another, then another, students or friends of Pastinha, and he beats them all and never tires, he never loses his breath, not even when he dances the “samba of Angola”.

The Escola de Capoeira Angola of Mestre Pastinha, is located on the ladeira do Pelourinho, in the square, on the first floor. From Thursday to Sunday they “play” in the school. But usually on Thursdays, the game is weaker, it is the new students who are training. On Sunday, the well-known capoeiristas come and the party starts in the afternoon.

If you visit Bahia, you should not miss the extraordinary show that is Mestre Pastinha playing capoeira to the sounds of the berimbau in the center of his school. And when he is not playing, he does not rest. He takes a berimbau and leads the singing. For me, Pastinha is one of the important figures of popular life in Bahia. It is imperative to meet him, to talk to him, to listen to his stories, and above all, to see him “playing”, confronting young and vigorous adversaries and knocking them down one by one…

… we should talk about the School of Waldemar, on the Liberdade Highway, where, beyond meeting the mestre of the school, you will meet Traia, a thin, quiet caboclo, made of muscle, a great mestre of capoeira. To watch him play is truly an aesthetic pleasure. He looks like a dancer and only Pastinha himself can compete with him in the beauty of his movement, in agility, in the speed of his blows. When Traia cannot be found at Waldemar’s school, he is nearby at the School of Sete Molas, also in Liberdade. At these schools, the visitor can acquire lovely berimbaus, helping in the development of our national fight…

… But oh! I hope that you never get into a fight with one of these capoeiristas, because however strong you may be, I would not bet on you to win because I am certain that in one minute you would be laid out on the floor, at the disposition of a shining razor blade…

You may however become friends with either one of these and watch a presentation. These capoeiristas are very fine people…

Ie! Viva Pastinha!
    

Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil: Roda in Honor of M Pastinha

      

A note from Olinda, Pernambuco:

Grupo São Bento Pequeno

Roda de Capoeira Angola
in honor of
Mestre Pastinha

Beco do Bajado
Olinda, Pernambuco

11-13-09
friday, 7 pm

Professor Baixinho: 81 9696 7194
website

Have fun!                    

Ladainhas of M Pastinha

In anticipation of the anniversary of Mestre Pastinha's birthday 120 years ago this Sunday, here are two of his many ladainhas as remembered by Mestre Bola Sete in his book A Capoeira Angola na Bahia.

Menino preste atenção
No que eu vou dizer
O que eu faço brincando
Você não faz nem zangado
Não seja vaidoso e despeitado
Na roda da capoeira
Pastinha já está classificado!

Eu nasci pra capoeira
Capoeirista eu hei de ser
Só deixarei a capoeira
Quando eu morrer!

Enjoy!

Salvador, Bahia: Roda and Chat with M João Pequeno

The Academy of Mestre João Pequeno de Pastinha
Centro Esportivo Capoeira Angola

Invites all to the commemoration of the birthday of Mestre Pastinha
April 5, 2009

Caxixi construction workshop
1:30 – 3 pm

Pastinha and his successors
3 – 5:30 pm
1st, Pastinha and his genealogical tree
2nd, The teachings of Pastinha
3rd, Pastinha introduces black and yellow
4th, Why the Joãos do not use black and yellow
5th, Pastinha and the balão
6th, To whom Pastinha passed the pulo de gato
6o: Para quem Pastinha deu o pulo de gato

Capoeira Roda of the Tree of Pastinha and invited guests
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Under the direction of Mestre João Pequeno de Pastinha

location: Forte Santo Antonio, Largo do Santo Antonio Além do Carmo
email: ajppastinha (at) hotmail (dot) com
33230708 / 88331469

New York City: Celebrate M Pastinha with M João Grande

This looks like an amazing event! Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn about the recent history of capoeira in Brazil with someone who lived it, as well as someone who pioneered the teaching of Capoeira Angola in the US. Hopefully there will be a lot of good questions (start thinking now, my friends...)

Workshop "120 Years of Mestre Pastinha!"

Date: April 4th - 5th, 2009
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: Capoeira Angola Center of Mestre João
Grande - 104 W 14th St. - 3rd Flr - New York, NY
Cost: $25 for the workshop
- $20 for the Roda.

Please join us to celebrate "120 Years of Mestre Pastinha!", the workshop taught by the legendary Mestre João Grande at his academy in NYC!

Mestre João Grande will be honoring his Mestre, Vicente Ferreira Pastinha! Mestre Pastinha was born on the 5th of April, 1889. He would be 120 Years old if he were alive. We will be celebrating the spirit of Mestre Pastinha, which lives on in each of us!

Mestre João Grande will be teaching the music and movements of Capoeira Angola, and sequences of movements of the old Mestres. He will also talk about Mestre Pastinha and his importance for Capoeira Angola, and show old pictures from his collection. To finalize the Saturday's Workshop, Mestre João Grande will answer your questions as well.

On Sunday, April 5th, Mestre João Grande will have a big Roda of Capoeira Angola to celebrate "120 Years of Mestre Pastinha!"

Program:
10::00 - 12 Noon:
Mestre João Grande will be teaching movements and sequences of movements of the Old Mestres
12:00 - 1:00 PM:
Lunch break
1:00 - 3:00 PM: Music Workshop (Mestre João Grande will be teaching Toques do Berimbau, Ladainhas & Corridos)
3:00 - 5:00 PM:
Questions & Answers (Mestre João Grande will be answering your Capoeira Angola questions, as well as talking about his experiences and History of Capoeira Angola)

Come to participate with Mestre João Grande to support Capoeira Angola Center of Mestre João Grande.

Please bring your instruments, axé, and desire to learn directly from a legend!

Feel free to bring flowers, fruits, and juices to share with our Capoeira Angola family.

All Capoeira styles and levels welcome!

Thanks for your support!

Health, Energy, Peace & Blessings,
and Axé to whom is from Axé!

Mestre João Grande

website

Thanks to T Fabio for the information.

Candangolândia, DF, Brazil: Lecture Series

Capoeira Angola Study Group
FICA-DF
(Fundação Internacional da Capoeira Angola – Distrito Federal)

It is a pleasure to invite everyone to a series of lectures and video screenings related to Capoeira Angola, religions of African and the African diaspora, and music.

The first lecture is entitled: "Mestre Pastinha and non-violence in Capoeira"

Day: January 29, 2009
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: Instituto Comunidade Praia Verde
Address: Rua dos Engenheiros, next to the Quartel da Policia Florestal
Candangolândia - DF

Salvador, Brazil: Capoeira Music Festival & Competition

Ok, folks. Its time to show the world what you are made of musically. This is going to be very cool:

II Encounter of Current and Traditional Capoeira Music

Presents

II Festival of Ladanha, Corrida, Quadra & Chula

Competition categories:
Ladainha
Corrido
Quadra
Chula

Top prize in each category: R$600,00 (six hundred bones)

Last day to enter: October 30, 2008
This is also the last day that entries may be posted to Sedex.

Final selection:
Friday, November 7 – 6 pm
Praça Tereza Batista – Pelourinho

Saturday, November 8 – 4 pm
Praça Tereza Batista – Pelourinho

Selection criteria:

Ladainha: following the traditional format of the mestres of Capoeira Angola, Pastinha, Waldemar, Traíra, among others

Corrido: Within the poetic and melodic standards of the corridos of Mestre Pastinha and Mestre Bimba and other mestres of the 1960s.

Quadra or Chula: as Mestre Bimba called them in Regional

Rules:
All the music must be new, previously unreleased and not recorded
Each participant may submit one entry per category

Entry form:
!. The entry form should be filled out and signed (it may be downloaded here or it is available in hardcopy form at the places mentioned below)
2. Copy of your RG & CPF
3. CD of the music and four copies of the lyrics

Entries should be sent to:
Casa dos Instrumentos da Coleção Emília Biancardi
Rua Gregório de Mattos, 31
Centro Histórico

Projeto Mandinga
Instituto Jair Moura
Rua Comendador José Alves Ferreira, 170
Garcia

For more information:
(71) 8847-0925 or 8732-2476
colecaoemiliabiancardi (at) gmail (dot) com

Sponsors:
Instrumentos Musicais Tradicionais Coleção Emília Biancardi & Instituto Jair Moura.

To access the registration form and for more information about the collection, plus biographies of Mestre Pastinha & Mestre Bimba, check out their very interesting website (in Portuguese).

Good luck to everyone participating!

Belo Horizonte, 1964: M Pastinha is in Town

Here is a 1964 announcement from O Diário newspaper of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

Capoeira Que É Bom Não Cai

Capoeira has already arrived

The Night of International Folklore begins tomorrow. The night was Dom Serafim’s good idea. Mestre Pastinha, king of the capoeiristas of Bahia de Todos os Santos, is already in the city with his group of capoeiras. Mestre Pastinha will do presentations on the 19th, 20th and 21st of this month, at 7:00 pm in the gymnasium of the Minas Tênis Clube. And the money raised will be used towards the construction of a new building at the Catholic University of Minas Gerais, which will be celebrating its anniversary this month.

"I'm the little animals!": Mestre Pastinha & Pedro Porreta

     
One more (last one!) story from Mestre Bola Sete’s book, A Capoeira Angola na Bahia. This one tells the story of Mestre Pastinha, who is Mestre Bola Sete’s teacher, and Pedro Celestino dos Santos, a.k.a. Pedro Porreta, one of the most famous valentões in Salvador of the first half of the twentieth century.

Mestre Pastinha came face-to-face with the dangerous capoeirista Pedro Porreta, who was well-known in Bahia for his aggressive manner and for the innumerable troubles he caused, causing him to confront the famous Chief of the Police Squadron, Pedro Azevedo Gordilho, better known as “Pedrito”. From then on, he was continuously persecuted by the squadron, who were never able to catch him.

It all started when Pedro Porreta went to live in a hut close to the Rua das Laranjeiras, where Mestre Pastinha owned a small market stall. There was a misunderstanding between the two, that turned into a violent fight, that after many blows from both sides, ended in a victory for Mestre Pastinha. He considered it his most difficult fight. “A good boy,” Mestre told me when I asked him about the capacity of his adversary in the street fight.

Mestre Pastinha had gone to the fair to buy bananas, leaving his wife in charge of the stall, when Pedro Porreta, who did not know that the stand belonged to Mestre Pastinha, arrived. Upon entering, he asked for a half dozen bananas.

- We don’t have any, my husband went to get some just now at the fair, responded the mestre’s wife.

Pedro Porreta was about to leave when he spied four bananas on top of the counter, and he turned and inquired:

- And those four bananas over there, who do they belong to?

- Those are for the little animals! said the mestre’s wife, pointing to a cage with two birds.

Pedro Porreta stepped forward, grabbed the bananas and left, saying:

- I am the little animals!

Upon returning from the fair, Mestre Pastinha entered the stall and put the basket of bananas on the floor. His wife told him what had happened. When she finished the story, the mestre left immediately to find the stranger. As he walked into the street, he met his friend who had seen everything and revealed the identity and the address of the individual. The mestre thanked him and proceeded to the house of Pedro Porreta, meeting him at the door.

Pedro Porreta did not suspect that Mestre Pastinha was the owner of the stall, and greeted him nicely, “How goes it, mestre? What would you like?” Upon learning that Mestre Pastinha was the owner of the stall and that he had come looking for an explanation as to what had transpired, Pedro Porreta opened the door, let loose a laugh, and pointed at the bananas cooking in a pan. Mestre Pastinha, noting Pedro Porreta’s mocking expression, turned to him and said, “Pedro, I am taking these bananas, if only because you invaded my stall in my absence and made fun of my wife.”

Upon hearing this, Pedro Porreta ran out into the middle of the street and challenged Mestre Pastinha to a fight.

Mestre Pastinha accepted the challenge and the fight went on for a few minutes, as no bystanders had the courage to separate them. The fight only ended with a violent cabeçada by Mestre Pastinha that threw Pedro Porreta far out onto the street. At this moment, a man who lived nearby came up and after asking about the fight, offered to pay the cost of the bananas provided that the two ended the dispute. Mestre Pastinha did not accept the man’s money, telling him, “My friend, I appreciate your kindness, but my argument with Pedro was not over the cost of the four bananas, but the way in which he handled the situation.” Saying this, he retired to his stall. Pedro Porreta moved out of his hut the next day.

Mestre Bola Sete's book has even more stories that regale the reader with the adventures of Mestre Pastinha (in Portuguese). You will really enjoy reading them all, and its a great book to include in your group's archives.

In the future, we'll be posting more about the famous Pedro Porreta.
     

Edison Carneiro: Os Moleques de Sinhá na Bahia

Edison Carneiro (1912 - 1972) is a well-known Brazilian intellectual and writer who dedicated his life to preserving Brazilian culture. He wrote a number of studies on different aspects of Brazilian culture, which he published in short books called cadernos. Because he focused on aspects of culture associated with "black" Brazil, such as capoeira and candomblé, he had a difficulty publishing his work.

In his book, Cadernos de Folclore - Capoeira, he presents basic information about the art form. Here is a little bit from that notebook, as he talks about capoeiristas of the time and the places they hung out:

The preferred places to vadiar were Boa Viagem on New Years, Ribeira on the Monday of Bonfim, the Terreiro during Carnaval, and the Mercado Modelo during the Festival of Senhora da Conceição, but today the moleques de sinhá practice in designated areas, the academies of old Pastinha in Pelourinho, of Waldemar, Canjiquinha, and others…

… The famous capoeiristas of Bahia were, until recently, the fisherman Samuel Querido de Deus and the longshoreman Maré, both from the capital, and Siri do Mangue, from Santo Amaro. Other well-known capoeiras are the “captain” Aberrê, Juvenal, Polu, Onça Preta, Barbosa, Zepelin… Some of their students have moved to Rio de Janeiro and are trying to continue vadiando there.

The book was published in 1975, a few years after his death. Today there is a fantastic musuem in Rio de Janeiro dedicated to Edison Carneiro in regards for his contributions to Brazil.

Mestre Pastinha On the Docks of Bahia

Mestre Bola Sete has written a number of interesting books and articles on capoeira. In his book, A Capoeira Angola na Bahia, he recalls some stories of the great old mestres, including Pastinha and Besouro Preto. The book also includes a catalogue of movements and capoeira songs (many attributed to Mestre Pastinha- the book is worth it just for those). Here's one of the stories:

I know many stories about Mestre Pastinha. Some of them I will pass on:

Antonio Maré, a famous capoeirista of the past and a great friend of Mestre Pastinha, once brought him [Pastinha] to play capoeira on the docks of Bahia where he [Pastinha] was known only by name. Arriving there, he knelt down at the “pé do berimbau” to play with one of the local capoeiristas. As they began their game, the other capoeiristas, friends who were playing with the mestre, yelled out “You’re going to clip this little chicken's wings, hey fulano?“ But to their surprise, the “chicken” [okay, one translation of the word] always had the advantage. At the end of the game, all the capoeiristas pressed Antonio Maré, who was well-known in the area, to tell the name of his friend. It was then that Antonio Maré revealed, “This is the famous Mestre Pastinha.” Upon hearing this, all the capoeiristas praised and congratulated the mestre, and one of the capoeiristas present stated, “Once I saw him, with that game and that manha, it could only be Mestre Pastinha.”

The book is great. You will really enjoy the stories (maybe we can sneak another one in) of the old mestres on the streets of Bahia and how capoeira was part of their everyday lives, not just in the academy or in the roda. You can find this book, A Capoeira Angola na Bahia by Mestre Bola Sete, in the FICA-Bahia library, but I am sure it is available other places, and most certainly with Mestre Bola Sete himself.

Have a story to share? Send it our way: ficadcarchives (at) gmail (dot) com

Living Legends: a Cobra Mansa & o Gavião

Eu tenho dois irmãos
Todos dois, chama João
Um joga pelo ar
Outro joga pelo chão
Se um é cobra mansa
Sei que o outro é gavião, camaradinho

Mestre Pastinha sang this ladainha in honor of his two students, João Oliveira dos Santos e João Pereira dos Santos, also known as João Grande and João Pequeno.

The above photos are a sampling of the FICA-DC photo archives. These were taken by T Gege in Washington, DC at one of the first FICA Annual Conferences. T Gege coordinates the photo archives at FICA-DC and has a few exhibits hanging around the school, including this nice one.

All are welcome to come to FICA-DC and enjoy the photo exhibits. If you have pictures you would like to contribute to the photo archives, you can email them to the blog, or send them snail mail to the school. Our address is:

FICA
733 Euclid Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
USA

** M João Pequeno's birthday is around the corner. If you have something (pictures, a nice memory) you would like to contribute to the blog's on-line celebration, please send it to us!

History of the Academy of João Pequeno de Pastinha

This short history of Mestre João Pequeno's school in the Forte do Santo Antônio Alem do Carmo was published in June of this year in the Diário de São Jorge, based in the state of Goiás. You can read the whole thing (in Portuguese) here.

Inaugurated in 1982, following the death of Mestre Pastinha, the Academia de João Pequeno de Pastinha had a great influence on the renovation of the Historic Center of Salvador (Pelourinho)…

In the early 1980s, Capoeira Angola was practiced in only two or three academies in the city of Salvador. They were groups of resistance that committed themselves to the diffusion of a lifestyle philosophy and not simply the formation of “folkloric groups”… Few resisted the influence of the “sportization” and folklorization of Capoeira Angola. In this context, the Academia de João Pequeno de Pastinha was born.

Created to combat this tendency, the academy became an important element in the revitalization of Capoeira Angola, preserving the line of Pastinha. Mestre Pastinha himself legitimized João Pequeno to drive this process. “They [referring to João Pequeno and João Grande, his two contramestres at that time] will be the great capoeiristas of the future, and for this I worked and struggled with them and for them. They will be mestres, not professors of improvisation like some around here that only serve to destroy our beautiful tradition. I taught everything I know to these two guys, even the pulo de gato. Because of this, I have great hope for the future.” (Diário de Notícias 10/3/1970)

Please send us any memories, articles, interviews, or pictures of Mestre João Pequeno that you would like to share with the Capoeira Angola community upon Mestre's 90th birthday.

Remembering Mestre Pastinha

Today, there will be rodas de branco all over the world to honor the memory of Mestre Pastinha, Guardian of Capoeira Angola. On this day in 1981, Mestre Pastinha passed away. Due to his love for and dedication to it, Mestre Pastinha lives on in the memory of all angoleiros.

Here is a (translated) bit from an article written by Reynivaldo Brito in memory of Mestre Pastinha that appeared in A Tarde in 1988:

...[Mestre Pastinha] had a posture and an elegance of a prince and a lot of malícia… "Angola capoeira-mãe. Mandinga of the slave in anxiety for liberty; its principle has no method; its end is inconceivable to even the most wise capoerista" This inscription which he put in the main room of his academy and later brought it to his room on Alfredo Brito [Street] reflects his own existence. And, on different occasions, he spoke of all the “philosophy” of capoeira. “Capoeira is mandinga, it is manha, malícia, it is all that the mouth eats. Capoeira has a negative and a positive, it also has the truth. Negative is to act as if you are going to do something and you don’t. But in the moment that the guy least expects it, the capoeirista goes in and wins. I always say that capoeira will never end in Brazil because it is the mother of all fights."

Iê! Viva Pastinha!

The ABCs of Capoeira Angola

This is a great ladainha for Capoeira Angola beginners. It was written by Mestre Pastinha.

Eu vou lê o B-A-BA
O B-A-BA do berimbau
A cabaça e o caxixi
E um pedaço de pau
A moeda e o arame, colega velho
Está aí um berimbau
Berimbau é um instrumento
Tocado de uma corda só
Pra tocá São Bento Grande
Toca angola em tom maior
Agora acabei de crê, colega velho
Berimbau é o maior, camará

M Marco Aurelio looks back at his Capoeira Angola roots

M Marco Aurelio shared this story with "Caxixi" magazine, which was published during the 2002 conference in Washington, DC:

I started training capoeira when I was thirteen years old and I met Mestre Moraes in a capoeira roda in the academy of Mestre Indio in the Flamengo neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro… Moraes gave classes at the House of the Sailor in Rio de Janeiro and I though it was strange the way this Angoleiro played because I had never seen anything similar. After some time, I started to train with Mestre Moraes in the Gurilândia club in the Botanical Garden neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. It was then that I met Braga, José Carlos, Neco, and Lumumba, who trained there. In 1975, myself, Braga, Neco, Lu, Peçanha, and others went to Salvador, Bahia, staying at the house of the parents of Moraes in the Baixa do Petróleo, Massaranduba neighborhood. We met Mestre Pastinha, who by then was already blind and quite old. In this opportunity, there is an interesting story: Moraes had written a ladainha in honor of Mestre Pastinha and we organized a bateria with berimbaus so that could sing it. He stayed on the gunga, and after finishing the music, the Mestre asked:

-Pedrinho (Moraes), are you on the viola?

-No, Mestre, answered Moraes, it’s the boy that came with us (Marco Auelio)

Pastinha thought for a bit and said:

-Menino, you are not going to give up capoeira, no!

Following this trip, and the story, I was invited by Moraes to train capoeira, receiving the title of Mestre from him in the Copaleme Club, in the Leme neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro in 1982.

The rest of this article and more are available for your perusal in our archives collection in Washington, DC.

Happy Birthday Mestre Pastinha!

Mestre Pastinha on the berimbau.

On this day in 1889, Vicente Ferreira Pastinha was born.

The story goes that when Pastinha was ten years old, he was always getting beat up by a bigger boy. An old African man saw this, and one day called Pastinha over to him. He promised Pastinha that he would show him a way to get the bigger boy. The man's name was Benedito, and he showed Pastinha the movements of capoeira. Sometime later, Pastinha met the larger boy in the street again and won the fight. Pastinha said that the bigger boy became his friend and admirer.

Later, Pastinha taught capoeira in the navy, and eventually opened his own school. In 1941, Mestre Amorzinho, a well-known capoeira mestre who held weekly rodas in Liberdade, passed the leadership of Capoeira Angola to Mestre Pastinha.

Throughout his life, Pastinha held a number of different jobs, and was an accomplished painter, but he was always best known for his devotion to Capoeira Angola.

Ie! Viva Pastinha!