Don't underestimate the power of capoeira

I sometimes get frustrated when people don’t see how powerful capoeira is, when they seem to be blind to its positive impact and instead have a negative attitude about it. But then I realize that I have my blind spots, too. Sometimes I don’t realize how much capoeira has given me!

Today I was reminiscing about a trip several years ago. I was home in Brazil for a visit after living in Paris for a few years teaching capoeira. I wanted to explore, because at that point I knew more about other places than I knew about my own country!

So I did! From São Paulo I went by bus to Bahia, stopping in many beautiful places along the way. Eventually I arrived in Caraiva, an exquisite beach, almost untouched by people. It was amazing, just a little town in the sand, with small houses and campsites. Walking along the beach, I met a couple headed in the same direction, and we started walking together. The man told me about himself and his career as a lawyer. He looked at me like I was this poor guy lost in life. His arrogance became even more noticeable when I told him that I was a capoeirista and worked teaching and performing capoeira.

After a while, I shared my story with him, including all the places I had traveled - Israel, Tunisia, Germany, England, Mexico, Austria, Spain, Italy, the USA, and more all because of capoeira. I told him about different moments in my life and how capoeira always supported me. For example, the time I was almost robbed on a train in Paris, and what saved me was the simple fact that I was Brazilian - the “criminals” knew about capoeira and liked it, so they didn’t steal from me; we ended up chatting. This appreciation for Brazilian culture was not an isolated incident. In all the places I performed, people loved Brazil! I found it gratifying but also sad, knowing how many Brazilians don’t respect or give value to their own roots.

After a long walk, the man’s arrogance was replaced by curiosity and excitement. He became my fan, asking me everything about capoeira. I’m happy to I know that I could change his point of view, even just a little bit, and help him see how much capoeira represents for us. Especially for a poor kid that dreamed big - to become a capoeira master and share capoeira with the world!