Today’s episode is a departure from the standard format of this podcast to revisit a topic we explored back in 2021, which is sexual abuse in capoeira. This remains an ongoing issue, and with this episode, where I am joined by Natasha Távora Baker (Pequena) of the Natasha Explains It All podcast, we hope to get listeners up to speed on what’s been happening since the last episode and what we as a capoeira community can do about it.

Trigger warning: this episode includes discussion of sexual violence and abuse, including of minors. 

We reference various resources and campaigns during this episode and they are:

CapoeirAcolher, on Instagram @capoeiracolher: supporting survivors of sexual abuse in capoeira and doing prevention work in Brazil 

Please support the GoFundMe campaign to get CapoeirAcolher formally off the ground and registered as a non-profit.

https://gofund.me/62e2b467

Participate in the #RaulPresente (on Instagram @raulpresente) campaign to bring justice to capoeirista Raul, who was abused by his capoeira instructor: Record video of yourself in support of victims of sexual abuse within capoeira and end by saying “Raul presente” (Raul present) to raise awareness and put pressure on the judiciary to move Raul’s case forward

Mestra Colibri of Capoeira Brasil Chicago

School’s website: https://colibricb.com/

School’s code of conduct: https://colibricb.com/code-of-conduct/

Instagram: @chicagocapoeiracenter @katiacolibri

Youtube: @katiacolibri

Participate in Mestra Colibri’s global survey on Identifying Barriers to Women in Capoeira, in English (for the US), in English (for non-US), Portuguese, Spanish, German, and French

Marias Felipas, a collective doing work to promote gender equity in capoeira, on Instagram @mariasfelipas 

The Ahimsa Collective, https://www.ahimsacollective.net/, is one organization that can help your group navigate conflict and harm repair

In this episode, I collaborate with Natasha Távora Baker (Pequena) from the podcast Natasha Explains it All to talk about how organized labor actions led to the abolition of slavery in Fortaleza, 5 whole years before the passing of the Golden Law in 1888! We dig into a key figure in this process, Dragão do Mar, and also dig into the history and timeline of the abolition movement in Brazil.

Natasha's Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Qozp50WJWy03nnUQw42O8?si=97e20c0695fe480f

Paranaue is arguably the most popular and well known song in Capoeira, and it's probably the most well known Capoeira song to people outside of the art. It’s the song people sing as a joke when they can tell the people around them don't know the song they’re singing. But what is it that we are actually singing about? If you take a cursory look at the lyrics, it honestly isn’t really clear. The verses are often improvised for situational relevance, and even the “standard” verses seem at best oblique references to something. For those who have asked the question of “what is this even about” in the past, you were probably told that it had to do with a War with Paraguay that Capoeiristas fought in. But what do we really know about this war with Paraguay, why is it so relevant, and why has this song of all others become so well known? Those are the questions that I want to dig into in this episode. 

The research for this episode took me far deeper into South American history than I expected, and there were some really surprising turns and revelations along the way, so I hope you enjoy as we take a dive into Paranaue and the War of the Triple Alliance.

In this episode I want to talk about arguably the most important instrument in the Capoeira bateria, the berimbau. The berimbau is an instantly recognizable symbol of Capoeira in the modern day, and in most circles is what leads the roda itself. At some point we all learn how to play this instrument and expect to see it in every roda we attend, but in some ways, there are questions about the instrument itself that we take for granted due to its ubiquitousness. Things like: where did this instrument originate from? When and how did it get to Brazil? Has it always been in Capoeira? If not, when and why did it make its way in? In this episode we are going to dig into some of these questions!

In this episode, we take a look at apelidos: what are they, where do they come from, and how should we use them going forward? This is inspired by and informed from a survey of 75 Capoeiristas polled through the Capoeira sub-reddit on their experience with apelidos.

I hope you enjoy and please send any comments and questions to [email protected]

Song is Capoeira Proibida by Mestre Coreba

Today’s episode is not about a person or even a legend within Capoeira. Instead I want to talk about a Brazilian cultural folklore, Saci Perere. Saci is a figure that I have been vaguely aware of for some time. I’ve known several people who were nicknamed Saci, and have heard Saci mentioned in several songs, but wasn’t really aware of who or what he is. So in this episode we dig into this folk trickster, examining who he is, where his story comes from, and what cultural relevance he has today.

Sitio do Picapau Amarelo w/ Saci: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjN7r_mrZEw

Storyteller Squad Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ZhgnNZLs42FcENWzwp1Pi?si=292596be155f4f1a

Please feel free to send me any questions, comments or suggestions at: [email protected]

A very special episode where I collaborate with the folks from the Only the Strongest podcast to talk about Capoeira history! If you like this episode, please check them out here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3jw3OGIPDqc2jL8isOFHVD?si=d69e3054ab40433b

As always, feel free to send me any questions, comments or stories at: [email protected]

Super brief bonus episode while I work on the next main one. Here I share my thoughts on the importance of learning our "present histories" and how many figures we may consider historical are still dynamic, active, and changing.

Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or stories at [email protected]

Today’s episode we will not be talking directly about Capoeira, but instead about a related Afro-Brazilian art that has become inextricably tied to Capoiera: Maculele. Most people who’ve been in Capoeira for some significant amount of time, have been at least exposed to Maculele, if not actively practiced it. It is a dance form of simulated combat with sticks, performed to a very specific drum rhythm, often performed with machetes and/or in extravagant costumes.

In today’s discussion, I’ll be discerning between a few different types of Maculele. First is what I’ll call “Modern Maculele” which is what is practiced today amongst Capoeira groups and Afrobrazilian dance and cultural groups. The second I’ll call “Historical Maculele”. This is the raw origins of Modern Maculele that existed in Brasil prior to the early 1900’s, and as far back as at least the 1800’s.

The important sources I pulled from today are various historical books on Capoeira, a summary of a book on the history of Maculele (Olele Maculele), and a few interviews with Mestre Popo, the father of Modern Maculele.

Send me questions and suggestions! [email protected]

Today’s episode is going to be a complete departure from the previous format of this podcast. There will be no music, and we will not be talking about a specific person or a specific time period. Instead, we will be talking about the pervasive problems of sexual harassment and abuse in capoeira that recent news reports have once again highlighted. This is unfortunately not new news, over the years this topic has come up several times as movements like MeToo have encouraged people who were victimized to come forward.

I have a few main goals for this episode. First is to relay the details of what we know has happened. Too many times people, especially beginners, get incomplete stories or information because people don’t want to talk about difficult topics. This makes those people feel excluded and makes it very difficult for them to make decisions on their involvement and future in capoeira.

Second is to educate on the realities of sexual harassment and abuse, at least in the US. I frequently notice a fundamental misunderstanding of how common these crimes are, how infrequently they are reported, and how rare false reports are. This misunderstanding severely hampers discussion on these topics and really hurts our chances at progress.

Finally, I want to examine what aspects of capoeira structures and culture contribute to perpetuating these abuses, and what we can do to improve those things. It’s true that these problems exist everywhere, but there are structures, especially those of power, that make them more prevalent or easier to hide. I don’t claim to have all the answers here, I am only taking a look at available research to suggest what we can try.

Trigger warning for anyone listening, in this episode we will be talking about sexual violence, abuse, and rape, in some cases involving minors.

Email: [email protected]

Sources:
https://apublica.org/2021/06/capoeiristas-denunciam-mestres-de-um-dos-maiores-grupos-do-pais-por-crimes-sexuais/ 

https://capoeirapensativa.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/cdofinal.pdf

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/11/organizations-sexual-harassment/546707/

https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/cv18.pdf

https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2015data-brief508.pdf

https://localprofile.com/2018/01/02/victims-not-report-sexual-abuse/

https://arodaunida.wordpress.com/