Singing for Survival: Capoeira History

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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

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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/

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In today’s episode, I want to look at a few different related topics. When we discuss Capoeira history, particularly more modern history, we often focus on the events and people in Bahia, namely in Salvador. This is because many of the important figures responsible for the trajectory of Capoeira to today were from there: Besouro, Bimba, Pastinha, and Salvador brought Capoeira to national approval and legalization. However, the more I research, the more I find Capoeira in Rio incredibly interesting and telling of some of the archetypes we associate with Capoeira today. There are many famous Capoeiristas (like Madame Sata who we talked about previously) who were from Rio, and in my opinion, the capoeiristas of Rio heavily influenced what we picture as the stereotypical malandro. So today we will talk about capoeira in Rio, specifically in what we will call the “malta era”, and as a focus point of the societal role of Capoeira in this place and time, we will talk about Manduca da Praia.

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In today’s episode, we are going farther back in time than any of our previous episodes, back to the foundations of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Western Africa. We are not talking about a Capoeirista, we aren’t even talking about a Brazilian, but instead someone who is hugely important to the resistance of foreign influence to African nations and cultures. We are talking about Queen Njinga of Angola, a person who used every tactic available to her to keep her nation independent, and who’s legacy lead to the modern-day independent state of Angola. Angola is hugely important to Capoeira history and present-day culture, since the majority of the people stolen from Africa and brought to Brazil were from the region known as Portuguese Angola. The roots of many aspects of modern-day Capoeira are thus traced back to this region. Through this discussion, we will talk about how the Portuguese expanded into Western Africa, the methods Njinga used to resist them, and why Njinga’s image has needed to be rehabilitated in the way it has over the past few decades.

Here's where you can find my reference for this episode:
https://www.amazon.com/Njinga-Angola-Africas-Warrior-Queen/dp/0674971825

As always, please send any questions/comments/stories to [email protected]

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The subject of today’s episode is Manuel Pereira, better known as Besouro Manganga. Besouro is one of if not the most famous figure in Capoeira history, and for many good reasons. Besouro was so legendary in his fighting prowess, that it was said both that he could shapeshift to escape capture and that he was mystically immune to all physical harm. He lived in a time when Capoeira was heavily persecuted, and fought valiantly against that suppressive system. I’ve heard more capoeira songs referencing Besouro than any other Capoeira figure, and if you’ve been in Capoeira for any significant amount of time, you for sure have at least heard his name. So today, lets dig in to the story of this legend, the music that relates to him, and what we can learn about the development of Capoeira in Bahia in this time period.

Songs Included in Today's Episode:

Besouro Besourinho - CM Rafael
Adeus Besouro - Mestre Barrão
Besouro Valente - Mestre Suassuna

Besouro Cordão do Ouro - Mestre Coreba

As always, please email me any comments, questions, stories, or suggestions to: [email protected] 

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Today's episode is about an extremely interesting legend in recent Capoeira history. We will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro in the early 1900's, only a few decades after slavery was abolished, and while Capoeira was still explicitly illegal. We are looking at a character who challenged what it meant to be a malandro, and really what it meant to be a man in Brasil at this time. Someone forced to the outskirts of society for who they were, but who nevertheless made a name for themselves that we remember today. A fighter, outlaw, dancer, and singer this person fully embraced all aspects of who they were, and that is not only incredibly inspiring, but also relates closely to Capoeira philosophies of duality and contradiction. We are talking of course, about Joao Francisco dos Santos, more commonly known as Madame Satã.

A note on pronouns: Though dos Santos was non-gender-conforming and was a very popular drag performer, all records indicate that he identified as a man. For that reason, I will primarily refer to dos Santos as "he/him" except when referring to him by the "Madame Satã" nickname where I will use "they/them".

The intro and outro music is from the 2002 movie "Madame Satã" which I highly recommend watching!

Link to discussion music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxepURsHSV8

Please send any questions/comments/stories to: [email protected]