Capitães de Areia

Capoeira – for life

Once a year, as a part of the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin, there’s the International Capoeira Festival organised by Capitães de Areia. In 2002 Mestre João Pequeno, Mestre Ciro Trindade from Salvador da Bahia and Mestre Emm, the founder of Capitães de Areia in Brazil met, and participated in the workshop which took place at Whitsun. Their visit offered the great opportunity to obtain insight on the life and activities of the masters. What’s the daily life of a Mestre like, and: how does one become a Mestre?

Mestre João Pequeno is today one of the biggest legends of Capoeira Angola from Salvador da Bahia. He’s now 90 years old and still teaches his students the art of Capoeira Angola at his academy. His face expresses dignity, humour and also a certain austerity, and João Pequeno’s ever present agility meets with enthusiasm. He started Capoeira as a teen, his master was no one less than Vicente Ferreira Pastinha. Not only does João Pequeno view Capoeira as his career, it’s also his vocation. He himself says: “I give my life to Jesus Christ. And my work and career, that’s Capoeira. Well, ok, I have other jobs, but my real work is Capoeira. I’ve been trained as a stone-mason, but my art is Capoeira. I give my life to Capoeira.” He still spends a large part of his life travelling, both in Brazil and abroad.

João Pequeno brought along his master student Mestre Ciro Trindade, who’s also from Salvador and both Capoeira and reggae music play an important part in his daily life. “I don’t have any set routines, it depends on the week, month or year. I follow the wind. Wherever the wind blows I follow” Ciro Trindade says, his eyes sparkling. At the moment he’s leading a project in the poor quarters of Salvador. At the weekends there’s a Roda only with students and meeting other Capoeira groups. Wednesday afternoons is reserved with Mestre Ciro and rehearsals with the reggae band RAS CIRO LIMA, which accompanies various festivals and of course the carnival. He laughs and says “we do Reggaeval”.

Like the others, Mestre Ciro also does other things besides Capoeira and music. “I’m a trained electrician and I’m also a gardner and I plant medicinal herbs and decorational plants.” After a short pause of inward-looking reflection he says: “Actually I like it, my life, living in tents, in huts…I don’t like living in a house.”

Mestre Emm, founder of Capitães de Areia in Brazil in 1973, also tells what impression Capoeira made on his life. He’s been a capoeirist since he was a child. “Capoeira is a big alternative for me as far as growing up was concerned.” After experiencing how Capoeira positively helped him he started teaching Capoeira to friends and others free-of-charge. He still does today. Capitães de Areia is a social project. Mutual give and take plays a big role amoung the Capitães.

Mestre Emm’s day begins at five in the morning. To earn money for his keep he works as a kind of ‘personal trainer’ using oriental techniques, “do-in” and with techniques to realign the back. He teaches Capoeira Tuesdays and Thursdays, and sometimes on Friday afternoons. On Sundays there’s a Roda for all groups.

Mestre Léo, originally a student of Mestre Emm, came to Europe in the middle of the eighties. Since then he’s continuing the project of Capitães de Areia. In 1994 they were founded in Berlin, and since 2001 there’s also the “Captains of the Sands” in Poland. Léo dedicates his time each week to Capoeira and teaches children, teens, students and adults. He furthermore plays in the band “Trio Elétrico Capitães de Areia” whose rousing rhythms can be experienced live each year at the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin.

And how does one become a Mestre? João Pequeno explains: “I only nominate someone to be a Mestre once they have their own group or academy. But I never nominate someone as Mestre just because he can play Capoeira.” Mestre Crio Trindade adds: “Not only to play, but to know the theory and art of Capoeira, that’s what’s important.”

When Mestre Emm met Mestre João Pequeno he already had a Capoeira group. “And not only did I do Capoeira, I did all kinds of crazy things found in Bahia: Samba, Maculelê, etc.” Mestre João Pequeno called Emm, who at that time was only a teacher, to take the Contra-Mestre exam. Contra-Mestre is the preliminary level to Mestre. “One has to be able to do what the Mestre teaches you. Each time he watches how his students play, and corrects here and there, and who knows: maybe one day one will be a Mestre?!”

(Shortly before copy-deadline we received the news that Mestre João Pequeno has been made an honorary Doctor in Brazil for his life’s work.)