THE THREE STARS OF ANGOLA
A. A. Decânio Filho
Translation by Shayna McHugh
Mestre
Caiçara rightly would sing:
The
heaven of Angola has three stars!
All
three entwined!
One
is “Grande”!
Another
is “Pequeno”!
The
“First” is in the Highest place…
Where
“The Greatest Brilliance” lives!
I was used
to watching from the anonymity of the crowds, at the rodas and exhibitions of the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola, where the figures of Pastinha and his main
followers hung out. I learned to admire the expressive game of the two “Joãos,” differentiated in physical parallel
by the words “Grande” and “Pequeno,” despite being identical in smoothness, elegance, discipline,
and beauty of gestures.
In reality,
João Pequeno was not so pequeno (small), the nickname being reflective only of the advantageous physique of “Grande.”
In the game, João Pequeno became both gigantic and equal. He silently taught the newer students by the exhibition of his elegant
movements, developed in the rhythm as required by the ritual of capoeira, always maintaining respect for the partner in the
game, whether in the physical or the moral plane. When singing, he spoke the traditional lingo of the capoeiristas in the
roda, praising tradition, exalting its origins, highlighting the qualities of the land and of its people, in an elegant rhythm
of poetic phrases. In life, he transmitted an example of serene humility and incontestable leadership, distinguishing himself
with his charisma to all who approached him. A closer look revealed an extreme father, devoted to the preservation of the
spiritual values of the family, and zealous in the provision of the material necessities of his own. Upon completing his 8th
decade, he continues the same as always: calm, humble, passionate for capoeira; playing capoeira and leading one of the most
expressive groups of our land, although worshipped as one of our great figures and recognized internationally as one of the
most important marks in the history of our art-and-skill of São Salomão.
The evolution
of capoeira after 1943 comes accompanying the path of a twin star, whose foci are the two Greatest Mestres, Bimba and Pastinha,
and under the light of the two we necessarily have to examine and understand the facts. Opposite but complementary poles,
the two great leaders completed each other, uniting modernity to tradition. Only thanks to the vision of Pastinha, manifested
in his beloved Capoeira de Angola, could the true game of capoeira conserve its original purity and survive the impact of
the historic storm unleashed by the creation of the Regional Fight, antithesis of the Capoeira Game, open door for the invasion
of modern theories and the consequent conceptual deformations of the original Bahian capoeira, “always elegant, beautiful
and kind, conceived with God,” in his words. Pastinha proclaimed in his manuscripts the strict obedience to the three
basic Rs of the capoeira game: rhythm, ritual and respect, without which the practice is transformed into a ferocious fight,
of wild beasts. After the return of the Old Mestre to a higher place, João Pequeno took the Center. With humble serenity,
he has directed the ship of tradition, with its door open to progress and evolution, without losing its objective and course.
In conclusion,
João Pequeno does justice to the phrase of Mestre Pastinha… “the people call him famous”…
May
God save Mestre João Pequeno!
May
Oxalá cover him with his wing…
And
protect the artimanhas of the exús…
In
the crossroads of life!
Final note:
Personally, I desire to reach
the “eighties” watching his playing and exhibitions of ability in the rodas of the “Academy of João Pequeno de Pastinha of the
Sporting Center of Capoeira Angola.”
