Mestre Cobra Mansa
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Mestre Cobra Mansa (born Cinézio Feliciano Peçanha, 1960 in
Duque de Caxias Duque is a Spanish surname meaning "duke". People Notable people with the name include: * Duque (footballer), nickname of Davi Ferreira (1926–2017), Brazilian footballer and manager * Jaime Enrique Duque Correa (1943–2013), Colombian Roman ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
) also known as ''Cobrinha'' and ''Cobrinha Mansa'', is a ''mestre'' of
capoeira Angola Capoeira de Angola (Angolan capoeira) or simply ''angola'' is the traditional style of capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art. A newer style, based on the reform of capoeira Angola, is called ''capoeira regional, regional''. However, the term ...
. He is one of the founders and the guide of International Capoeira Angola Foundation, that supports 11 affiliated groups in the United States, Brazil and Europe. Beside his play, Cobra Mansa is known for his knowledge and scholarship of the historical and cultural roots of capoeira.


Biography

He began his practice of capoeira in 1973 with Josias da Silva and Raimundo in the
Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...
neighborhood of
Duque de Caxias Duque is a Spanish surname meaning "duke". People Notable people with the name include: * Duque (footballer), nickname of Davi Ferreira (1926–2017), Brazilian footballer and manager * Jaime Enrique Duque Correa (1943–2013), Colombian Roman ...
. He played Capoeira in the Duque Caxias street
rodas Rodas () is a municipality and town in the Cienfuegos Province of Cuba. It was founded in 1859 under the name of ''Lechuzo''. In 1879 it was renamed Rodas in honour of capitán general ''Caballero de Rodas''. Geography The municipality is divid ...
and was one of the founders of the Caxias Street Roda with Rogerio Russo and Peixinho de Caxias. In 1974, Cobra Mansa became a student of
Mestre Moraes Pedro Moraes Trindade, commonly known as Mestre Moraes, (born February 9, 1950, in Ilha de Maré in Salvador, Brazil, Salvador, Brazil) is a master of capoeira. He lives in Salvador, Bahia, teaching at a public school and overseeing GCAP, which ...
, after saw him play in the roda of Central Brazil. Prior to dedicating his life to capoeira Angola, he worked in
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
, as a
street vendor A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether stationa ...
in a circus (''Circo Picolino'') and even served as a
police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
for 2 years in the state of
Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...
.


Grupo Capoeira Angola Pelorinho

In 1981, Mansa started with the '' Grupo Capoeira Angola Pelorinho'' (GCAP), aimed towards children and orphans with rough backgrounds in
Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
, Bahia. After years of fruitful collaboration, Cobrinha and Moraes had a difference over the direction of the school where they were both leader figures. The result was the departure of Mestre Cobrinha and several other members of
GCAP GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed on 9 May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. ...
as well as the formation of FICA.


Life in the United States

Around 1994, on invitation from the
Ausar Auset The Ausar Auset Society is a Pan-African spiritual organization founded in 1973 by Ra Un Nefer Amen. It is based in Brooklyn, New York, with chapters in several major cities in the United States as well as international chapters in London, Engl ...
Society, Cobrinha moved to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and opened a school in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, which was solely dedicated to the teaching of Capoeira Angola. He later became an
adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...
at
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
, and then eventually president of the newly formed FICA.


Return to Bahia

In 2004, he left the United States to make his home in Bahia, Salvador, Brazil to create the Kilombo Tenondé. This organization is currently split over two sites, one in
Valença, Bahia Valença is a Brazilian city in the state of Bahia and has an estimated population of 97,233. It is visited by tourists because it is the main access to the island of Ilha de Tinharé, famous for the town of Morro de São Paulo. The municipality ...
. ''Quilombo Tenondé'' provides space for capoeira and permacultura (organic farming). The other site is a cultural center at Coutos in the suburb of Salvador.


Trip to Africa

In the 2010s, completed a journey to the west-central region of
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
to search for the African roots of capoeira. He spent time in
Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
and
Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
learning about the
n'golo N'golo (anglicized as Engolo) is a traditional Bantu martial art and game from Angola, that combines elements of combat and dance, performed in a circle accompanied by music and singing. It is known as the forerunner of capoeira. Engolo has bee ...
martial art and other local African cultural traditions that contributed to the development of capoeira. He also conducted a workshop in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
where he shared his knowledge and experiences. As a result of his trip to Angola, the documentary ''Jogo de Corpo: Capoeira e Ancestralidade'' (2013) was created.Jogo de Corpo. Capoeira e Ancestralidade
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Capoeira style

Mestre Cobrinha is known for his dynamic and dangerous style of play. His nicknames (''Cobra Mansa'' - "tamed snake" and ''Cobrinha'' - "little snake") are apt descriptions derived from Cobra Mansa's graceful and deceptive style of play. His ability to transform situations through the use of innovative and
acrobatic Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...
solutions has made him one of the most influential ''angoleiro'' (practitioner of capoeira Angola) of his generation. Never one to avoid the complexity of Capoeira Regional, he has traveled in many non-Angolan circles and done a great deal to help mend old disagreements between the two. His style continues to be respected through both the capoeira Angola and capoeira Regional communities and he remains an inspiration to many younger capoeiristas.


References


Works cited

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External links


Official homepage
{{Capoeira 1960 births Living people Brazilian police officers Capoeira mestres Brazilian capoeira practitioners People from Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro Capoeira Angola Engolo