Where Does Capoeira Come From?

Capoeira is from Brazil, where it was influenced by Indigenous, African and Portuguese cultures.  When the Portuguese arrived for the first time to Brazil in 1500 AD, the indigenous population numbered around one million.  Needing labour for their plantations, the Portuguese attempted to enslave many of these people, but found the scattered tribes difficult to capture and control.  As a solution, the Portuguese captured and brought to Brazil as slaves, hundreds and thousands of people from West Africa.

From their many homelands, the African Slaves brought a great diversity of cultural and religious traditions to Brazil.  These traditions helped to divide the slaves into small cultural groups, avoiding the formation of a united social identity and so were tolerated by the Portuguese slave masters.  Oppression of those traditions only began when the Portuguese King Joao arrived in Brazil in the 1800's.  While the exact origins of capoeira are unknon, it is thought that under this oppression, the melting pot of African and Brazilian cultures gave birth to a unique form of dance-like fight accompanied by traditional African percussion instruments and song.  With the fluidity and rhythm of a dance, the mischief and play of a game and the strength and spirit of a fight for freedom - Capoeira was born.

When slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888 AD, the newly freed slaves did not find a place in the new economy, and life was hard.  The strong individualistic and highly trained Capoeiristas became sought after as bodyguards and fighters, leading to the association of capoeira with violence and crime.  Despite this, masters and their students devoted to the practice of capoeira continued to train and play in secret. 

In the 1950's, two such masters stood out in their fight to have capoeira recognised as an honourable and respected artform, rich in tradition.  These men were Mestres Bimba and Pastinha.  Together they gained the support of the people and it is thanks to their work that today Capoeira is recognised as a national sport in Brazil and is spreading throughout the world as a way to mental and physical strength and agility, and as a philosophy for life.

References: Nestor Capoeira (1995) - "The Little Capoeira Book"