Mestre Suassuna: his biography and take on Capoeira, styles, and today’s groups. 1/4

This post on Mestre Suassuna’s life is a translation (made by me) from the chapter “Reynaldo Ramos Suassuna. Mestre Suassuna by himself” in Mestre Deputado’s book “Menino Quem foi teu Mestre?”(2004).

Mestre Suassuna’s statements can be taken as an example to help us reflect upon the early cultural context of Capoeira in Bahia, the beginning of the groups with the folkloric troupes, inter-group and inter-style interaction, and the first spreading of Capoeira from Bahia to Brazil.

This first post is on his beginning in Capoeira and early motivations. I hope his experience and opinion can help us to discuss and understand today’s problems involving the worldwide practice of Capoeira.

Reynaldo Ramos Suassuna

Mestre Suassuna, by himself!

Part One

“I begun in a city called Itabuna, in Bahia, in1957, 1958, 1959, around there… I mean training for a while, giving a little brake, those training of a youngster, who gets enthusiastic, comes… goes…

However I really begun in Capoeira because I had some friends, two friends, one named Muti and another named Jeferson. The 3 of us were inseparable. Those country-side who would follow one another everywhere. We went to balls, trips, soccer, always the 3 of us, when one went missing it was like everything was missing. So, one time, the other 2 made up their minds about practicing Capoeira. I really never liked Capoeira. Back in those days my passion was boxing. Capoeira had no propagation. The Capoeira that came from Ilhéus, Itabuna, Itajuípe, that in that time was called Ipiranga, there in the south of Bahia. Then there were those who played Capoeira, those gunman, those farmers, those foreman, they practiced that Capoeira called de [from] Angola, and I had my thought similar to the one Mestre Bimba had: I saw those men there, sometimes with their bums pointing up, and that ‘thing’, I never saw ‘that’ as a fight.

The blokes would insist, call me: “- Lets learn how to fight Capoeira.” And I: “- What fight? That’s nothing like a fight! If I punch one of those guys I’ll kill him.” I was a young boy, fourteen, fifteen years old…

The it happened that a Mister from Itabuna, named Major Dória, opened a sports centre in the city. Itabuna was already a big city and there was no big Capoeira centre in town. So, he opened the sports centre: it had Judô, Karatê, Capoeira, etc. He did this with the help of an old Lady who was Jorge Amado’s kin, he have a farm in Itabuna, and Ilhéus had big buildings – Amélia Prado was her name – she gave the building and they built a large gym there, then Capoeira came in.

Different Mestres and teachers appeared, young students from Itabuna who studied in Salvador use to go there in their vacations and hold classes – note that today many names are quoted, many capoeiristas, good capoeiristas, but none, in my view, has yet fulfiled the demands that those young boys required.

So, these friends of mine started practising Capoeira. They called me: “Lets go! Lets sign up!” I used to say no, that I would go only if they offered boxing. They insisted. If they both were going, I would had to go either. So they went in the first week and I felt alone in the middle of the street. There was no cinema, there was no place to go alone, so I decided to sign in. Getting there I signed up, but I didn’t liked. That berimbau annoyed me so much! Those people jumped around, it was a damned tumult. I didn’t get along very well. So I practised a bit… there was a boys that help me out, but I had a huge difficulty to ginga. This was my weak point; dexterity, I had; I jumped. This was natural, it was my way of jumping from here to there, but whenever I had to ginga… I, indeed, had a difficulty. It seemed that I wouldn’t make it right never. Do you that bloke really clumsy that you see around? The blokes watched, it would come one, another, they lost their patience. It took me around 2 to 3 months to ginga properly. I knew all the other strikes, but still it wasn’t natural to me.

So one day the Mestre put me to play with a boy. I learnt how to do the sequence even without ginga. Then it came the time for the tombo [tumble] sequence, which was the game. I charged towards the boy, but I went with a sort of boxing frame. I stroke him with all I got, and this guy almost killed me. His name was Zé Laitima. He weighted pretty much as I did, around 50 kilos. But he had a lot of Capoeira skill. I was beaten like a child. The gang cheering me up: “- Get him! Go!”; and I stroke him only to get beaten. I got even more furious and I thought: “- I won’t quit doing Capoeira until I get beat him up”. And the boy said: “- The only way you can beat me is training a lot of Capoeira.” And I said: “- All right.” And started to train, and train…”

To be continued…

Reference

Souza, W. (2004) Menino Quem foi Teu Mestre?. Ed. Independente.