Capoeirista from Amazonas will receive title of Doctor Honoris Causa at a college in Europe

In atabaque batuques, berimbau strumming and capoeira circles, Amazonian Angelo dos Anjos Oliveira, the “Capacete Baraúna” master, built legacy and history, in addition to influencing young people in Brazil, Latin America and Europe. Decades of dedication resulted in the honor with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, granted by Faculdade Febraica, University of Lisbon and Order of Chaplains of Brazil (OCB), which will be awarded next Friday (8), in Lisbon, Portugal. The title is given to personalities who stand out in their activities related to the defense of arts, science and letters, and for the benefit of the community. This is the highest distinction granted by a university and has high prestige in academia. Master “Capacete Baraúna” emphasized the pioneering nature of awarding the title to a capoeirista from Amazonas, in addition to representing an important step for the capeiristic community, due to the recognition of its importance for human formation and potential to transform lives, based on philosophical values. . “For me, it means an important recognition in my professional career, there are many years of dedication, always sowing capoeira and Afro-Brazilian culture in different social layers of the places I have been, transmitting and contributing to the educational formation of many children, young people and adults. I am aware of how much I was able to contribute and positively impact the lives of many people who followed me and follow me to this day,” he stated. The reach of the master’s art crossed the borders of Amazonas, Brazil and reached Europe. Currently, he is the director and coordinator of the Escola Internacional de Capoeira Angola Matumbé, which has units in Italy, Spain, France and Luxembourg. Furthermore, he founded the Ilê Odara Brazilian Culture Center, where he develops sociocultural activities in the Italian capital, celebrating Brazilian popular culture with an Afro-indigenous matrix with the foundations of Capoeira Angola, the knowledge of Bahian masters and also other Brazilian cultural manifestations, such as: forró, samba, coco de Pernambuco and dances of African origin. For the master, capoeira presents itself as a struggle of resistance and is the result of the need for freedom of the enslaved people in Brazil, with the main mission being to transmit this awareness to other countries. In international territory, Westernism challenges the teaching of capoeira, as well as language and technology also represent an obstacle to be overcome, above all, when understanding that the art takes the wealth of staple peoples, therefore, there is the relevance of being learned in community. “Unlike many European countries, Brazil still has the opportunity to carry culture in its body, to be learned from the oldest to the youngest, while in many “civilized” countries, many cultural manifestations are already extinct and are only found in libraries ”, he highlighted. The relationship between Brazil and Italy is used by the master to develop capoeira, due to the historical, political and social cooperation between the two nations. In this way, Angelo points out that Italy is “embrazilized”, due to the significant presence of Brazilian immigrants, which makes cultural expressions more normalized by Italians.

Trajectory

Angelo Oliveira’s career began almost 30 years ago, when he was 12 years old, in the group Berimbau dos Palmares and was led by master Ricardo, “Camisa Furada”. His apprenticeship continued with Luiz Carlos Bonates, the master ‘KK Bonates’, and, years later, he received the recognition of foreman, in 2012, and the title of master, in 2022, due to his dedication to the art and Brazilian Afro-indigenous culture. Master KK Bonates, who is a culture advisor for the State of Amazonas and a Capoeira master, highlighted the role of the capoeira master as the protagonist of the environment, observing the singularity of the body and how it manages to merge with the mind. This popular knowledge is the result of the resistance of oppressed classes, such as workers and slaves.

The founder of the Escola de Capoeira Luta de Libertação, Dermilson Brasil de Freitas, the master Canário, reported the relationship with Angelo, between baptisms and weekly circles. The journey of this friendship in capoeira has existed for more than 20 decades, since 1996, when Angelo attended events held by him, before he started teaching classes. “I also visit his space, we train and play capoeira together many times. Through him I was invited to join the Capoeiristas group, which traveled to Jamaica for presentations in 2007”, he added. Master Angelo’s contribution to Amazonas occurred mainly in the South Zone of Manaus, offering classes in the Praça 14 neighborhood and Santa Terezinha, in Duque de Caxias. Mestre Canário recalled that the Amazonian used to attend capoeira circles in the city, regardless of the flag, and, as a result, passed on his knowledge to other countries, when he contributed to the implementation of capoeira in Jamaica and established teaching centers in Europe. The capoeira group Cativeiro was established by Angelo in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2006, being one of the first to take the teachings and contributing to the development of sociocultural projects in the territory. During this season, he founded the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Capoeira Afalia, where he was director and carried out the anti-violence project “Capoeira for peace”, which received funding from the Brazilian Embassy in Kingston and the Organization of American States (OAS). . In addition to the Brazil-Italy axis, Angelo has already taught classes in South Korea, Thailand, Jamaica, Germany, Iceland, Holland, France, Portugal, Jordan, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, England, Switzerland, Cape Verde, Japan, among many other countries. Just as he usually participates in professional and cultural events.

Teaching

The transmission of capoeira Angola is the main objective of master Angelo “Capacete Baraúna”. In addition to continuing the project in Italy, it seeks to transform lives through culture, providing quality of life and human evolution in all sectors. “There are almost 30 years of study, research, renunciation, commitment, literally a donation of life and a lot of work that I have been developing since Manaus, passing through countless countries, different continents, but always sowing Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian culture in different layers of the places I visited, transmitting and contributing to the educational development of many children, young people and adults”, he reported. For younger people, the master advises the initiative to seek to know more about Brazilian culture, with appreciation and understanding of the historical process, based on the contribution of African and indigenous peoples to the construction of cultural identity. “Try to be truly Brazilian and not simply foreigners born in Brazil, who grow up without knowing anything about our country, beyond the superficiality offered by a capitalist and manipulative system. Free yourselves through study, education and culture,” he concluded.

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