The Berimbau & Capoeira Angola First Edit

The purpose of this documentary is to re-examine the understanding of the origins of Capoeira. I believe it is important to see Capoeira as a cultural practice that is a combination of various cultural practices that were already practiced by peoples in Angola and they continued these practices in Brazil as a from of cultural expression. I believe viewing Capoeira solely as a from of "resistance" reinforces negative and misleading ideas that African people have no history or culture of their own, and that they simply created cultural practices as a form of "resistance" or "revolt" against their oppressors. It is very important be knowledgeable about the true history of Africa and its people.

Filmed in 2016 with an iPhone 6 in Salvador and Itaparica Island in Bahia, Brazil. This is the first draft of the documentary and I hope to add the additional interviews for a more complete version. Production was funded by the Theory-to-Practice grant program at Ohio Wesleyan University. Logistical support was provided by Brazil Cultural. Translation by Rubens da Costa Silva.