CDOB - Cordao de Ouro Capoeira Birmingham

HISTORY

The history of “Capoeira” isn’t a straightforward one. There are many rumours, myths and legends that are embedded and re-enforced by the varying master narratives, each master with a different story. However using some continuities, a combination of differing views and combining these with evidence from the Brazilian archives, we can develop a basic outline of its early development.

In brief, the slave trade in Brazil began in 1580 and continued until 1850. Brazil received more than 3.5 million African slaves, more in total than any other country in the Americas . More than a quarter of all Africans taken for the slave trade were taken to Brazil; also Brazil was the last country in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery. These Africans brought with them their culture and thus have heavily influenced Brazil since this period. “Capoeira” is believed to have formed from some of many “combat games” practised by African slaves. These were found in Brazil and other slave countries across the world. One of its closest relatives is believed to be “N’golo”, the African zebra dance native to the country of Angola: a dance where two males compete for a female who has recently come of age by attempting to make contact with the other’s head using spinning attacks with their feet.

“Capoeira” was practiced in Brazil amongst African slaves in Brazil and in some cases was used to defeat their capturers and to escape. It was continually practised even after the abolition of slavery despite it being declared illegal. Contemporary “Capoeira” can be traced back the legalisation of the art in the 1950’s when the first academies and schools opened.

Nowadays “Capoeira” is a national sport in Brazil and a global phenomenon, “In most European and US cities one can see young people from different ethnic backgrounds and genders carrying around a musical bow, or berimbau” one of the key instruments in the “Capoeira” orchestra.

“The use of an entire percussion orchestra shows that Capoeira involves much more than mere physical exercise”

“Capoeira” has spread over the last century from relatively limited constituencies, in terms of geography, class, gender and ethnicity, to an ever-growing number of adepts in Brazil. Since the 1980’s it has expanded all over Western Europe and the United States and is practised in countries as diverse as Australia, Finland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Mozambique, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa and Venezuela. Conservative estimates for 1998 suggested that already 3 million people were practicing Capoeira around the world, a number that has been growing ever since.

Since expansion throughout the world “Capoeira” has been called by many masters as one of the largest transport vessels for the Portuguese language (or specifically Brazilian Portuguese) into the wider world. One of the key parts of its practice that I highlighted earlier is the music and song that are maintained in every group as “traditional” and sung in Portuguese. Often the movements are described and classes are taught using Portuguese words. Some groups in fact maintain that in order to progress to a higher level, or to “receive a new belt”, students must learn basic Portuguese and even required to take a mandatory trip to Brazil to experience how it is practised “at home”.

This makes “Capoeira” socially important in the wider global scale, as it heavily promotes Brazilian culture and tourism. Capoeira in Brazil is now praised by its government and is seen as a positive Brazilian export and transport vessel for Brazilian culture. “Gilberto Gil” - an ex-musician famous for his work with the “Tropicalia” movement of the 1960’s, is now the minister of culture in Brazil; he is an ex-practitioner of “Capoeira” and regards it very highly. In Brazil there are now government funded “social projects” which teach “Capoeira” (often for free) in schools, to poor communities and even to those with special needs.