HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

OF CAPOEIRA

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combining dance, self-defense, and acrobatics with music. Just like many other worldly forms of martial art, Capoeira has a rich history and development rooted deep within Brazilian culture.

During the Middle Ages, slaves were imported into Brazil from Africa. Between the years of 1500 and 1888, almost four million souls crossed the Atlantic in the disease-ridden slave ships of the Portuguese Crown. Many Africans were still forced to face the "middle passage" and were smuggled into Brazil. The ethno cultural contributions of this massive forced human migration, along with those of the Native inhabitants of the colony and those of the Europeans from Portugal, shaped the people and the culture of Brazil. From the Africans, we inherited the essential elements of capoeira. This is evident in the aesthetics of movement and musical structure of the art, in its rituals and philosophical principles, as well as in historical accounts of the ethnicity of those who practiced capoeira in the past.

This art arose from strife and the need for an outlet experienced by the struggling peoples of colonial Brazil. Their struggle for freedom, African slaves relocated in Bahia, a Brazilian state, developed a clever camouflaged form of self-defense. This method of fighting intertwined with dance cloaked the slaves' despair and plotted rebellion from their masters. Part playful and part graceful, the dancing and acrobatic movements could be easily transformed into aggressive attacks and defenses. These skillful moves primarily used the feet and legs for attacking and defending, as the arms and upper body hoisted the participant into the air. The arms and shoulders were used to hold the stance of a particular fighter, while providing balance and style. During training the slaves used very little contact there was very little contact during training. Singing, handclaps, and music were added to make the combat appear playful and dance-like in nature. For the slaves it was a fight for liberation, but the masters simply saw it as a great way of being entertained.

Finally, in 1888, slavery was abolished in Brazil. Soon after, the government banned Capoeira. Consequently, the practice of Capoeira was punishable by law. Imprisonment and/or deportation were the sentence. In addition, other manifestations of the Afro-Brazilian identity: samba, afoxe, candomble, etc. were also banned. After time however, Capoeira became a growing part of Brazilian culture and the government began to allow its basics to be incorporated into student academia. Today being taught in thousands of academies, schools, and universities, Capoeira has become a key aspect of the traditional Brazilian heritage. Thus, today Capoeira stands as the second most popular sport in Brazil (second only to soccer). Its popularity has also begun to spread far beyond the borders of Brazil and into Europe and many other parts of the world. Its success has deemed Capoeira a respectable form of combat mixed with dance, which supplies a longstanding, rich history.