Capoeira practitioners discuss professionalization drive

The professionalization of capoeira, an African Brazilian martial art granted “intangible cultural heritage” status by UNESCO in 2014, was discussed at the Festival of Afro-Latin American and Caribbean Women (Latinities Festival) in Brasilia.

Capoeira masters, students and enthusiasts are skeptical about the potential benefits of professionalizing capoeira. Practitioners of this once-illegal martial art reject approaches which they claim would split it up and institutionalize it.

According to Rosângela Costa, a Professor at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) who was “baptized” (initiated) into capoeira as “Mestre [Master] Janja”, the capoeira community in Brazil has been outspokenly opposed to professionalizing the practice. She said bills under discussion in Congress create a divide between those who see capoeira as a culture and those who see it as sport and a fight. Moreover, the proposals include professionalizing capoeira masters as high performance athletes. “Not only is it detrimental to capoeira at large, it's especially dangerous for us women and will only widen [gender] inequality gaps,” she said.

Another controversial point is a requirement that professionals hold Physical Education degrees or be supervised by PE graduates in their practice. A representative from the Ministry of Culture in the discussion, Daniel Castro, said the proposed legislation to professionalize capoeira is still far from mature.

Twenty-six-year-old practitioner Mariana Monteiro dismisses credentialism, contending that some of the masters have been teaching capoeira for years. “You can't simply tell an accomplished, practising capoeira master to pursue a Physical Education degree at this point, or hire anyone as a teacher saying they will teach capoeira better than a master. I think that's something that can hardly be professionalized, because it's a whole culture,” she argued.

The president of the International Capoeira Angola Foundation (FICA), Cinézio Peçanha, “baptized” as “Mestre Cobra Mansa” (an alias that translates roughly as “Master Tame Snake”), argues that capoeira groups need more support. “How many masters lack the facilities to teach capoeira? How many often lack the instruments to work at schools? Why don't people discuss providing capoeira practitioners with the tools they need [instead]?”

This year's edition of Latinities Festival ended Sunday (July 26). The event began in 2008 as a celebration of the Black Latin American and Caribbean Women's Day on July 25.

Translated by Mayra Borges