Joana Carvalho
Mestre Bimba
The greatest capoeirista of all time
Mestre Bimba
Born on November 13, 1899, Mestre Bimba (Manoel dos Reis Machado) was not only the creator of regional capoeira, but also considered the greatest capoeirista of all time. At the age of 12, he joined the batuque. At the age of 27, he was known as Mestre Bimba. In 1953, he gave a presentation to a Brazilian military man and politician who was very influential at the time. At the age of 73, he died of what is believed to be a stroke. However, his family claims that he died of "tristeza de banzo" (a disease of nostalgia that affected black people who were enslaved):
Capoeira
Capoeira regional was created by master Bimba, a mixture of batuque with African dances and fights. A fight that looks like a dance. It may or may not be harmless. In a circle of players, there are at least two players in the middle who perform blows to the rhythm of the music played and sung by the other players.