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| Mestre Pastinha | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vicente Ferreira Pastinha |
| Birth date | 1889 |
| Birth place | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
| Death date | 1981 |
| Occupation | Capoeira mestre, teacher |
| Known for | Capoeira Angola preservation, Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola |
Mestre Pastinha Antônio Vicente Ferreira Pastinha (1889–1981) was a Brazilian capoeira mestre renowned for codifying and preserving Capoeira Angola. He led the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola in Salvador, Bahia, and became an iconic figure linked to Afro-Brazilian culture, music, and resistance movements.
Pastinha was born in Salvador, Bahia, and raised in neighborhoods associated with Afro-Brazilian communities such as Pelourinho, Liberdade, and Santo Antônio. His formative years overlapped with figures and institutions like Zumbi dos Palmares, Candomblé, Ilê Aiyê, Afrânio Peixoto, and the urban milieu shaped by ports tied to the Transatlantic slave trade. Pastinha trained in martial and dance practices with elders connected to traditions represented by names such as Mestre Bimba, João do Rio, Bahia Revolutionaries, and local capoeiristas who linked to events like the Canudos War and the cultural ferment following the Proclamation of the Republic (Brazil). The early 20th-century social context included actors and movements such as Getúlio Vargas, Tenentismo, Modern Art Week (São Paulo, 1922), and cultural institutions like the Academia Brasileira de Letras and theaters in Salvador.
Pastinha's approach emphasized traditional Capoeira Angola techniques, musical elements, and ethical codes associated with masters in the Atlantic African diaspora, including connections to practices from Angola (country), the legacy of quilombos, and ancestral figures such as Zumbi dos Palmares. His style contrasted with the regional innovations of Mestre Bimba and engaged with musical repertoires involving instruments and repertoires linked to berimbau, atabaque, pandeiro, and songs in the lineage that includes composers like Dorival Caymmi and performers from ensembles linked to Salvador Carnival. Pastinha articulated values resonant with intellectuals and artists such as Jorge Amado, Gilberto Freyre, Tia Ciata, and institutions like the Museu Afro-Brasileiro, foregrounding rhythms and rituals seen in Candomblé houses and cultural circles connected to Samba de Roda and groups similar to Ilê Aiyê.
In the mid-20th century Pastinha founded the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola (CECA) in Salvador, positioning it among cultural institutions and spaces frequented by figures such as Jorge Amado, Candido Portinari, Lima Barreto, and policy debates involving entities like the Brazilian Institute of Cultural Heritage and municipal authorities of Salvador, Bahia. CECA became a site for exchanges with artists and intellectuals from movements including Modernism (Brazil), activists associated with Black Consciousness Movement (Brazil), and links to festivals like Salvador Carnival and national forums where representatives of groups like Movimento Negro participated. The center also engaged with publications and broadcasters such as O Cruzeiro and TV Record that documented capoeira's revival alongside performers who collaborated with institutions like Theatro Castro Alves.
Pastinha taught a generation of capoeiristas and cultural figures who later connected to institutions such as universities, cultural centers, and media. Among his students and associates were mestres and practitioners who aligned with names like Mestre João Grande, Mestre Joao Pequeno, Mestre Cobra Mansa, Mestre Suassuna, and artists and intellectuals including Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, Miriam Makeba (through cultural exchange), and dancers linked to companies like Balé Folclórico da Bahia. His pedagogical network intersected with scholars and collectors such as Ruy Castro, Manuel Querino, Florestan Fernandes, Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, and cultural promoters from organizations such as IPHAN and universities like Federal University of Bahia.
Pastinha's public profile engaged politicians, writers, and cultural institutions including Getúlio Vargas-era cultural policy debates, postwar intellectuals like Gilberto Freyre, and Black movement leaders associated with Movimento Negro and organizations akin to Geledés. His advocacy for Capoeira Angola influenced media portrayals from magazines like O Cruzeiro and newspapers such as A Tarde, and drew the attention of policymakers in Salvador, Bahia and federal agencies similar to Ministry of Culture (Brazil). Pastinha's image circulated alongside artistic responses by Jorge Amado, musicians of the Tropicalismo movement such as Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, and cultural preservation debates involving museums like the Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia.
In later decades Pastinha's prominence grew as capoeira entered international circuits tied to festivals, tours, and academic studies involving scholars from institutions such as Universidade de São Paulo, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, and cultural festivals like Festival de Salvador. His legacy influenced contemporary mestres, capoeira groups, dance companies, and preservation efforts tied to organizations including IPHAN, UNESCO-style heritage discussions, and municipal cultural policy in Salvador, Bahia. Pastinha appears in biographies, documentaries, and scholarly works alongside authors and filmmakers such as Ruy Castro, Mauro Mota, Mauro de Vasconcelos, and institutions like CNPq and CAPES. His teachings inform current practices at academies, community projects, and international schools linked to names such as Mestre João Grande and Mestre João Pequeno, securing Pastinha's role in the global recognition of Capoeira Angola and Afro-Brazilian heritage.
Category:Capoeira Category:Brazilian cultural history