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What is Capoeira, Where did it come from and What were the initial main objectives of Capoeira?
Capoeira is a martial art created in Brazil by the Black slaves who were brought from Africa , during the Portuguese colonization in the 16th Century. Initially, this martial art was immediately disguised with music, singing, clapping and dancing, as soon as the Landowners were approaching, so that they did not realize that the slaves were, in reality, training defense and attack techniques that would be used to fight against oppression and fight for their freedom.
In short, it is a cultural manifestation of the Black African people, a practice that mixes dance, fight and play, involving activities related to several domains, such as music and poetry. At the same time, it generated a feeling of union and an organized system of cooperation amongst them.
According to the Brazilian native language tupi guarani , Capoeira means “low vegetation” ( mato raso ), since the slaves used to practice and develop their fighting techniques in this type of terrain, and thus the name Capoeira.
Impact in the Brazilian society until the beginning of the 20th Century?
Due to the fact that Capoeira was created and developed by Black slaves, it was persecuted and marginalized for many centuries by the society. Because of this oppression, Capoeira ended up being forbidden by law and anyone caught practicing it, was arrested and severely punished.
Consequently, Capoeira lost its main focus and degenerated into a marginal, violent fight, regarded as something only practiced by criminals, mostly from the end of the 19th Century until the beginning of the 20th Century. By then, Capoeira was reduced to nine movements and was still forbidden by law. It was seen as something folkloric, by the outsiders, and seen as marginal activity by the Brazilian society.
Next - Mestre Bimba and the Capoeira "Regional"
