Capoeira, the Dance of the Slaves

I had never heard of Capoeira until my visit to the old city Pelourinho in Salvador, Brazil. Pelourinho means "whipping post" in Portuguese. This is where African slaves were severely punished and humiliated even for petty crimes. My mind conjured up an image of a tall black man tied to a post being whipped mercilessly. I quickly brushed aside the image and the feeling that accompanied it.

In the old city, I saw a group of men standing in a circle and two athletic men at the center performing an acrobatics of sorts to the accompaniment of strange singing, drums and a stringed instrument. It was a mesmerizing dance ..a mix of martial arts, dance and animalistic moves. I was very intrigued and stood watching for a long time.

I later read that Capoeira was born from the depths of a man's survival instinct as a form of self defence. It was an escaped slave's only hope of survival and freedom against powerful, armed colonial forces trying to recapture him. Capoeira was practiced in secrecy amid the thicket of the plantations, risking their lives if caught.

Despite all these odds Capoeira survived and lives on. It survived because it lived in the hearts of the people who practiced it, who loved it enough to risk their lives to teach others. Anything so sacred will not die easily, its fragrance is too strong to be snuffed out. Capoeira will surely spread across the globe just like Yoga, Karate and other great art forms.

They are not dead who live in the hearts they leave behind. - Tuscarora