Mestre Canjiquinha
Washington Bruno da Silva (1925–1994), known as Mestre Canjiquinha, was a Brazilian capoeira Angola mestre and a prominent figure in contemporary capoeira.
He was one of the few mestres who didn't emphasize differences between Angola and Regional style, viewing them as primarily different rhythms.
Biography[edit]
Washington was born in 1925 in Salvador, Bahia, as a son of a washerwoman.[1]
He started in Capoeira in 1935, in Baixa do Tubo, in Matatu Pequeno. "In the bathroom of the late Octavian" (a public bathroom).[1] He learned Capoeira with the legendary Mestre Aberrê (Antônio Raimundo).
Mestre Canjiquinha was a shoemaker, lunch box delivery man, and a typist. Among other activities, he was also a football player (goalkeeper) for the Ypiranga Futebol Clube, as well as a bolero singer on Salvadoran nights.[1]
Even though he was not a student of Mestre Pastinha, Canjiquinha was Contra Mestre in his academy.[1] Upon leaving, he founded, already as a mestre, his own academy.[1] He was a capoeira visionary, he always told his students "Capoeira has no creed, no color, no flag, it belongs to the people, it will travel the world".[1] He had a unique characteristic of playing the berimbau, an instrument he held in his right hand and played with the vaqueta in his left hand, keeping the berimbau at chest height.[1] During his presentations, Mestre Canjiquinha didn't limit himself to showcasing capoeira but also incorporated other Afro-Brazilian dances, including maculelê. He claimed to be the first to integrate maculélé into capoeira demonstrations.[2]
Mestre Canjiquinha played a pivotal role in shaping the style of mainstream capoeira that began to emerge in São Paulo during the 1960s.[3] This evolving style, which emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, drew from both Regional and Angola styles while maintaining its distinct characteristics.[3]
He recorded a CD with old Mestre Waldemar in 1984.[4]
Like many others, he faced poverty in his later years. Mestre Canjiquinha passed away in 1994.
He left behind a legacy continued by talented mestres such as Paulo dos Anjos, Mestre Brasilia, and Mestre Lua Rasta.
Movies[edit]
He appeared in several Brazilian films, promoting capoeira to a wider audience.
Literature[edit]
- Assunção, Matthias Röhrig (2002). Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7146-8086-6.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Mestre Canjiquinha, by Luciano Milani
- ^ Mestre Canjiquinha
- ^ a b Assunção 2002, pp. 194.
- ^ Mestre Waldemar
See also[edit]
| History | |
|---|---|
| Music | |
| Mestres | |
| Techniques | |
| Groups and foundations | |
| See also | |
