Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art

158 PASTINHA AND ANGOLA STYLE
Figure 6.4 Bateriade Capoeira : M.Pastinha’s students in the academy in Pelourinho Square in Salvador’s old city
centre. Drawing by A.Neves e Souza, from…Da minha África e do Brasil que eu vi…(Luanda: n.p., n.d.). Courtesy of
the National Library, Lisbon.
what songs were acceptable for the roda, I believe he also contributed to establish clearer boundaries
between capoeira on one side, and maculelê, samba de roda and candomblé on the other.
M.Pastinha also institutionalized the instruments that were to integrate the capoeira Angola orchestra. He
tried out a range of solutions. At times his bateria played with guitars (‘viola de corda’) and at some stage
he even introduced Spanish castanets in the roda. 60 During exhibitions his group also used a changing
combination of instruments. The now formalized solution of three berimbaus, two pandeiros, one agogô,
one reco-reco and one atabaque was probably not in place until the 1960s. 61 The combination of these
instruments clearly was an innovation, and did not relate to any capoeira tradition in particular, although
one could argue that Pastinha invented within a broader Afro-Bahian tradition. Three berimbaus allowed for
complementary rhythms to develop and suited Pastinha’s aims. As an accomplished musician he wanted
the Angola style to cultivate the musical aspects of what he considered was an art, and in his understanding
capoeira required that the berimbau presided over the roda (see Figure 6.4).
Similar to Bimba, Pastinha formalized capoeira practice: students took regular classes in a closed
‘academy’. He was no particular friend of street rodas during festivals. His students had to wear uniforms
during training sessions and exhibitions. Uniforms changed over the years, but all of them were clearly
inspired by sport jerseys (see Figure 6.5). In the end Pastinha adopted the colours of his football club
Ipiranga, yellow and black, which became the hallmarks of the Angola style as taught by him. His aim to
instruct the ‘next generation’ of mestres also resulted in the institutionalization of hierarchies. As Pastinha
claimed in his memoirs, he ‘gave to the Capoeira Centre [CECA] a mestre de campo [‘master of the field—
a post in the military hierarchy], a master of the songs, a master of the orchestra, masters of the archives, an
inspector, contra-mestre [person next to the mestre in the capoeira hierarchy] […] 62
The struggle to establish the Angola style
For angoleiros of modest means founding a school in the context of Bahian society, where the state
provided no systematic backing for this kind of cultural activity, required private support and connections.