Street Capoeira and the Memorialization of Slavery in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Capoeira is a combat game developed by enslaved Africans and Brazilian-born Blacks on the streets and squares of port cities in late colonial Brazil. From the 1930s onwards, modernized styles such as Regional and Angola developed, which moved practice to the closed spaces of schools (“academies”). This paper looks at the re-emergence of street performances (rodas) in Rio de Janeiro, in particular those of the “Rio Street Roda Connection” (2012–2016), amid the urban renovation of the central areas for the mega-events of 2014 and 2016. Some of these street rodas take place on locations that are highly significant for the history of slavery, such as the Valongo Wharf. The article discusses to what extent playing capoeira can be understood as a re-enactment of the history of slavery, and how the street rodas and accompanying events contribute to the memorialization of slavery and the resistance of the enslaved. It also analyzes to what extent disputes over identity, ownership and urban territories contributed to the break-up of the Connection.