4capoeirathoughts

Capoeira and Global Trends

There are some achievements of humanity that I would say have reached a point of no return. Globalization and diversity are two of them. Capoeira, as a driving force for an ever increasing number of multinational practitioners, deeply reflect both phenomenon’s encompassing their potentialities and pitfalls. This post embraces, amongst other things, the inversions caused by the neo-liberalist globalization in our institutions, altering the meaning and social role of our Capoeira groups.

_________________________________

“[O]ne cannot be ‘against globalization’ as one cannot be against the Sun’s eclipse…”, this is how Zygmunt Bauman comments about the movement ‘against globalization’, or liquid modernity as he calls it. According to the author, “the problem, and the movement’s proper issue, is not how to ‘undo’ the unification of the planet, but how to tame and control the heretofore wild globalization processes – and how to turn them from a threat into a chance for humanity” (Bauman and Vecchi; 2004: 87). I believe we face the same problem with the fate of our institutions.

Cultural diversity, as a consequence of liquid modernity, is not a exception; today, is almost impossible to escape it. Whether we will receive it as a blessing or confront it as a curse, that is a personal decision. Capoeira, as a world wide established cultural manifestation is been largely affected by these phenomenon and rapid change of our societies. Stuart Hall, Mestre of the Cultural Studies explains that:

“Since cultural diversity is, increasingly, the fate of the modern world, and ethnic absolutism a regressive feature of late-modernity, the greatest danger now arises from forms of national and cultural identity – new and old – which attempt to secure their identity by adopting closed versions of culture or community and by refusal to engage… with the difficult problems that arise from trying to live with difference” (Hall; 1993).

Any resemblance with our reality in Capoeira is not mere coincidence. Within our art we range from “very closed versions of culture” forging encapsulated communities, to extremely market orientated groups hammering their students with a stereotyped Brazilian identity as part of their Capoeira package. Of course, there are some wise and honourable people committed to the expressive role of our culture and its educative potentialities somewhere in the midst of this wide range. However, as these wise folks do not conform easily within the multiculturalism labeling, most times they are misunderstood by their radical counterparts from both edges.

The “closed versions” of the art-form, in spite of a very politicised discourse, do very little to deal with diversity and issues of locality within Capoeiragem. On the other hand, the business-like groups are either keeping students isolated in order to assure their fragile ‘fundamentals’ or socialising with others chiefly to compete and reinforce their mannerism-based identities (which is not at all related with Capoeira’s inner principles and fundamentals).

In a world of rampant change, in which competition radically increases individualism and insecurity, and in which the nation-states no longer desire to fulfil its obligations with its citizens “men and women of our times suspect they are pawns in someone else’s game, unprotected against the moves made by the big players … men and women of our times are haunted by the spectre of exclusion” (Bauman and Vecchi; 2004: 46-47. Italics in the original).

Capoeira groups, as “closed community”, are playing an important role in our societies. “[T]hese congregations pick up tasks and duties abandoned by the retreating social state. They also offer the most painfully missing ingredient of a decent human life, refused to them by society at large: a sense of purpose, of meaningful life (or meaningful death) …” In this sense, “’being born again’ into a new warm and secure family-like home is a temptation they find hard to resist” (Bauman and Vecchi; 2004: 47, 87). The problem with these kind of institutions is that, despite providing a sense of belonging and social inclusion to a minor social clique, usually their paradigm does not allow them to interact with broad society searching for a dialogue, so needed to operate a more effective and wider social inclusion.

On the other hand, for those still fit to consume what is being offered on the identity’s market’s shelves, there are the stereotyped identities. Generally over-emphasising values, mannerisms and behaviours, as for instance, the over-played characters of the malandro; the tough fighter; and the sexy and fragile girl in Capoeira. Although not necessarily meeting neither the core concepts of Capoeira nor the broad and inclusive sense of Brazilianity, these ‘off the peg’ identities (as coined by Bauman) suits just perfectly the cosmopolitan life-style imposed by media. As Bauman notes with regards to the multitude of shallow and/or disposable identities put available by the neo-liberalist scheme and its version of cosmopolitanism: “[w]hen the quality lets you down or is not available, you tend to seek redemption in quantity” (Bauman and Vecchi; 2004: 31)

However, in both cases, provided that we can avoid the limitations of the extreme attitudes and re-evaluate the role of our institutions, we are given the chance of engaging our institutions in the cause of education and social inclusion. If we (re)organise our groups according to the ancient libertarian and empowering principles of the art, we will be able to operate this global network towards local cultural expression, solidarity, education and social inclusion.

Milton Santos (2008) also calls attention to the need of reverting the paradigm through which our institutions are been operated, so that they work fostering humanitarian values. The author expains that globalization, as is generally known, can only be grasped as a fabled story. The idea of a global village being equality and simultaneously covered by news broadcast; that time and space are now shortened due to technological achievements supposedly accessible to all; and that state boundaries are tearing down facing the multinational companies’ financial power; are all concepts forged by media in an attempt to reinforce the multinational companies’ ideology (Santos, 2008: 19).

Santos unveils how the scheme works providing pertinent counter-arguments. The author explains that news content are picked and manipulated according to the multinational companies’ hidden agenda; that time and space are shortened only to that small percentage of the globe’s population who can experience the developed countries cosmopolitan centres and/or afford international travels; that even Internet access, another form of experiencing multiculturalism and globalization in a local level, is a scarce resource for most people in the developing countries. As for the weakening of our nation-states, Santos explains that there are those who would say that they are rather being strengthened, but to attend the financial claims of multinational enterprises instead of the ones from their citizens (Santos, 2008: 19).

Capoeira groups are broadly affected by these fabled concepts. More and more groups are behaving like multinational companies, targeting the world’s market and turning the art-form into a product in the shelves of the neo-liberal scheme, as there were no other option. Increasingly, confronting individualism, social instabilities, loneliness, and the fate of purposeless and meaningless lives, some of our groups are turning themselves almost into fundamentalist congregations; based on myths of purism and diversity intolerant. In this way, without second thoughts and self-criticism, majority of our institutions follows segregationist global trends.

“The so called global market is presented as capable to homogenise the planet when, in fact, the local differences are deepened. There is a search for unity, serving the hegemonic actors, but the world turns to be less united, making more distant the dream of a truly universal citizenship ” (Santos, 2008:19).

The Capoeira community and its groups cannot achieve truly educational, inclusive and diversity tolerant standards neither from the perspective of “closed communities” nor from a market orientated ones. We are been asked to adopt group’s flags and mannerisms as they were representatives of Capoeira culture. Some of us try to compensate a feeling of being adrift with a sense of group belonging. Most of us are trained to forge our identities based on group competition and prejudice.

However, likewise Bauman noted in regards to globalization, ‘one cannot be ‘gainst groups’ as one cannot be against the Sun’s eclipse…’. We cannot undo the spreading of Capoeira after the 1970s, intensified with the advent of groups like we know after the 1980s. Nevertheless, we do not have to conform with such inversion of the philosophical principles of Capoeira, neither do we have to believe in that assertion, so common in the bate-papos, saying that “if we don’t do it like the group (or style) X or Y, they will take over…”.

On the contrary, the more we try to compete with these business-like groups, the more we will have groups adopting the same ruthless strategies. As it is said ‘to chase a monster, one needs to become one’. We must seek for the specific socio-historical context in which Capoeira emerges in Brazil as guidance for our actions.

The real rasteira in those forging globalization like it is now, is to revert the role of our institutions and operate them in our favour. Capoeira groups can be managed from the perspective of the human ethics, of inclusive and diversity tolerant values; instead of from the business-like standpoint. Internet can be used to exchange knowledge about our local contexts and needs, reinforcing locality and forging a social network of engaged groups; rather than to create and follow celebrities, or selling classes. Over-crowded and oppressive cities can be turned into referential centres for intercultural learning, and development of ideas on social inclusion and solidarity; replacing the actual group’s battle-field for market.

“It is the education of the future’s duty to take care so that the idea of the human specimen’s unity does not erase the idea of diversity, and that its diversity does erase the idea of unity… It is the human unity that brings in itself its multiple diversities principles. To comprehend the human is to comprehend its unity within diversity, its diversity within unity.”
(Morin, 2001: 55).

The material and technological conditions are already given (at least to most of us), we simply need to change the paradigm through which we operate them.

References

Bauman, Z. and Vecchi, B (2004). Identity: Conversations with Benedetto Vecchi. Cambridge, UK. Polity Press.

Hall, Stuart. (1993). Culture, community, nation. Cultural Studies 3, pp.349-63

Morin, Edgar. (2001). Os Sete Saberes Necessários à Educação do Futuro [Les sept savoirs nécessaires à l'éducacion du futur]. Brasília, DF, Brazil: Unesco

Santos, Milton. (2008). Por Uma Outra Globalização. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil: Editora Record.

Tags: global trends in Capoeira, intercultural learning, Social Inclusion, westernization of cultures

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 7:28 am and is filed under Global Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.