Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art

PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE 153
generation he belonged to but also used a range of metaphors and expressions that reflect his very
distinctive personality. What he wrote and said, especially in the later years of his life, often drew on his
readings and the many conversations he had with his intellectual friends. One cannot therefore assume that
everything he said for instance about capoeira history stems from oral tradition nor is necessarily
representative of the capoeira mestres of his generation. Furthermore, journalists were not always that
meticulous when reproducing the mestre’s thoughts, often being more interested in getting a spectacular
headline. They might have altered his words. The book he published was heavily copy-edited by his
intellectual friends. That is why Pastinha’s manuscripts remain a key source of understanding his views
about capoeira. Unfortunately they have not been dated until now. In what follows I attempt to summarize his
teachings but readers should be aware that any interpretation of the mestre’s reflections remains subject to
discussion.
Pastinha identified the ‘rude boys’ as being responsible for the bad image of capoeira. He therefore sought
to establish a clear distinction between capoeira Angola and the violence that had so far characterized some
of its practitioners. These ‘were individuals of bad character that used capoeira to release their aggressive
instinct’. Although having in his youth experienced himself some trouble with the police he now supported
stern action against the tough guys: ‘Fortunately, these troublemaker capoeiristas constituted a small
segment and deserved violent police repression’. 31
Pastinha therefore recommended distance from the troublemakers of the past and their posture: ‘Don’t
aspire to learn capoeira to be tough, but rather for the defence of your physical integrity’. 32 For that reason
he insisted that capoeira Angola was a sport: The ethics of sports spreading at that moment throughout the
Western world seemed to provide a model consistent with the type of behaviour Pastinha wanted to see
implemented in the capoeira rodas. It might not have been the only reason. Calling his school a ‘Sports
Centre of Capoeira Angola’ certainly eased the institutionalization of the art, since sport already enjoyed the
social recognition Afro-Brazilian culture was still struggling to achieve at the time.
His teachings emphasized the need to rescue the aspects of the game likely to disappear when capoeira
was used only for street fights or in prize matches. Those who want to dedicate themselves to the sport,
must seek to learn meticulously the rules of capoeira de angola […] Unfortunately a great part of our
capoeiristas have a very incomplete knowledge of the rules of capoeira, since it is the control of the
game that protects those who practice it, so that it does not degenerate into the excesses of the free
style contests ( vale tudo). 33
What rules was Pastinha referring to? Although he recognized that capoeira Angola was ‘before anything, a
fight and a violent fight’, he sought to establish clear differentiation between its different modalities:
capoeira as a game, played on squares or for friendly demonstrations; capoeira as a defence against an
aggressor; and capoeira as a training method. 34 For games and demonstrations a number of kicks and
movements had to be banned. 35 Pastinha emphasized in particular that grappling was prohibited in order to
guarantee a proper game:
All mestres have the duty to make known that it is a mistake to use the hands on your opponent; and if
they don’t, they show not to be a mestre; those who have education prove their politeness playing
with their comrade and do not seek conquest to sully their companion; it is time to understand, to help
your sport, and help to moralize; to raise capoeira, which was already declining. 36