I took a 2-day trip outside Salvador to visit another Capoeira Luanda group in a small town called Encarnação, no interior da Bahia. Two buses and one ferryboat later, the 3-hour journey took me to one of the most simple and pristine places I have ever visited. It is a fisherman’s village, surrounded by water. The beaches were deserted; the sand was white, and the water crystal clear. We were hosted Instrutor Vagalume and his family.
Upon arrival in Encarnação we had no address. We were told to get off the bus and ask for “Vagalume”. It seemed strange to me, but I figured he must just be that well known in the community… Well, now I understand why! The “community” is a couple of blocks of cobblestone streets and cement/brick structures within a 1-mile radius. Sure enough, we got off the bus and the first person we asked knew Vagalume, and walked us right to the Capoeira studio where a wonderful Roda welcomed us! We quickly changed into our abadás, and spent the rest of the evening playing Capoeira in the serenity of this quaint little town. The only sound for miles was that of the beating atabaque (drum) and our voices chanting capoeira hymns.
I haven’t blogged much about Capoeira. Even though I train 5 days a week here in Bahia, I haven’t felt compelled to write about it. There are a couple of reasons why, but I think the main reason is that I have so many mixed emotions about Capoeira in Bahia. I’m not ready to put them down on paper yet… but when I am, there will be a long blog entry about it! I will talk a little bit about the Capoeira in Encarnação, however.
Mito and I were the only women in the room. For me, coming from my group in LA, this is a drastic change. Very few women play Capoeira in Bahia, and no women train in Encarnação. When I enter a Roda at a new academy, I never know how my being a woman will be perceived by the fellow capoeiristas. I’m happy to say that one of the nicest receptions I’ve received so far was in Encarnação. They were so happy to have visitors, international visitors, in their small town! Although Capoeira has brought other Americans to their town, it happens infrequently and they are honored each time a new guest arrives.
The studio they train at is pretty much a 3-D cement rectangle. There is nothing inside the room but the Capoeiristas themselves, and their instruments. The floor was dirty; there was no bathroom, and only 1 light in the room. The doors were locked and windows closed to keep out unwanted intruders. There were about 15 men training, ages ranging from 6 to 30 years old. Their games were beautiful. It became quickly obvious that Vagalume is an amazing teacher. He teaches capoeira in Encarnação voluntarily. His students are very poor (as is everyone in this village), and have no money to pay for class. But still, they train every Mon-Wed-Fri, and Vagalume commits to being a role model in capoeira, instilling respect, structure and diligence into their lives. It is pretty incredible. And for this small, humble town, a great opportunity…
After the roda, and a round of photo-taking with Vagalume’s digital camera, we walked backed down the cobble stone streets to Vagalume’s house, took very COLD showers, changed, and headed back out to breath some fresh country air. I actually saw stars in the sky! I had forgotten how beautiful the night sky is without the florescence of NYC’s lights in the background. It was breathtaking. We walked around for 30 minutes in the middle of the night, in the middle of Bahia, in the middle of Brasil, and it was completely quiet and completely safe. There are few places in Brasil where I can say the same.
The next morning we spent the day touring Encarnação with our wonderful host! The first stop was his grandmother’s house, a Condomblé leader in their village. Vagalume’s grandmother hosts the Candomblé ceremonies in a large room in her house. They start at 10 PM and last until 3 AM. She gave us a special tour of the sanctuary, took us to each one of the vigils (1 for each Orixá), and introduced us to her family. Condomblé is a white-magic religion in Bahia. It originated at the same time as Capoeira and was practiced by the slaves. Like capoeira, it involves drumming, chanting, and dancing. It is very beautiful and provocative. I’ve seen Condomblé ceremonies in the past while in Brasil, and I’ve always been intrigued. We were so lucky to have a personal guide in Encarnação! As the leader of their group, his grandmother blessed us each with our own Orixá (basically, a spirit or god) and mine is Oxoss – the night and shining armor on the white horse. Candomblé followers believe that each individual has a particular Orixá who watches over them until death. Sort of like a guardian angel, but a stronger, more physical connection. Before leaving the sanctuary, she bathed us in rose perfume water, danced for us, showered us with lembranças (souvenirs), made us take about 100 pictures in the sanctuary, and asked for our donations.
Encarnação makes Salvador look like the first world! The simplicity of life there is indescribable. You have to see it to understand it. It is bittersweet though. The beauty is incomparable but the poverty is prolific. No one works, no one plays, and no one does much of anything because there isn’t anything to do. There are no jobs if you don’t fish. Schools are sparse and the center of town consists of 1 payphone, 1 local bar, and a bus stop. I think I probably met just about everyone in this village – most of them were cousins or 2nd cousins of Vagalume. His grandmother had 12 children… You can imagine the color Capoeira adds to this community. Vagalume has done a lot for his town, and it was through complete serendipity that Mestre Jelon brought capoeira to this small town 8 years ago. I wish them the best of luck in trying to raise money to build their own Capoeira academy.
Encarnação, it was lovely. And it reminded me of how lucky I am.
