Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art

88 CAPOEIRAGEM IN RIO DE JANEIRO
Figure 3.9 The sweeping kick, ‘Rasteira’, is still practised in contemporary capoeira. Revista Kosmos, No. 3 (March
1906). Courtesy of Biblioteca Nacional, Rio de Janeiro.
profession. Manduca owned a fish stand on the market square near the Praia do Peixe (‘Fish Beach’), which
granted him a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. ‘Dexterous as a shadow’, he was initiated into capoeira in
the 1850s. Mello Moraes, who personally knew him, described Manduca in his later years as ‘a
light-skinned mulatto, big,…only carrying as a weapon a fine walking stick of wood from India’. 96
According to some sources he was the chief of the Santa Luzia malta. 97 In that capacity he confronted
cadets from the Military Academy in 1861, among whom were the future president of the republic, Floriano
Peixoto, and other upcoming politicians such as Rio Branco (Foreign Secretary, 1900–1910). Following one
account that greatly emphasizes the heroism of the later president, Floriano came to help some of his fellow
cadets who had been prevented from crossing the Carioca square by the Santa Luzia gang. In the ensuing
duel with Manduca, Floriano is said to have defeated the malta leader by applying him a sweeping kick or
rasteira (see Figure 3.9). Subsequently the group of cadets beat up the malta, making use of capoeira
fighting techniques themselves. 98 Mello Moraes relates other brawls in which Manduca’s fighting skills
appear in a more favourable light. He is said to have beaten up a whole group of Portuguese pilgrims, armed
with sticks, at the annual festivities for Our Lady da Penha. In another famous duel, he confronted the
Portuguese MP Sant’Ana e Vasconcelos, a ‘distinguished gentleman’ and reputed stick fighter, who had
challenged him. Manduca swiftly sent Sant’Ana in the air with one of his kicks; they ended up drinking
champagne and becoming friends. 99
Manduca was an ‘active’ citizen in the São José parish, qualified for the second turn of elections to the
parliament. 100 He also worked for many years as a canvasser (cabo eleitoral) for the Conservatives and
participated in the manipulation of elections in favour of that party. What in fact most clearly distinguished
Nagoas and Guaiamus was their connection with one of the two main political parties of the Empire, the
Conservatives and the Liberals. The Nagoas had strong personal ties with key Conservative politicians,
whilst the Guaiamus tended to ally with the Liberals. As the case of Manduca da Praia shows, capoeiras
acted both as canvassers and capangas. Whilst the capanga played the tough guy during elections,
intimidating voters to support his party or manipulating the ballot boxes, the cabo eleitoral provided a more
permanent link between the elected representatives and their voters. Although in Rio only 16,000 citizens