Travel Some say the

Travel Some say the mestre’s duty is a sacred one; they are a parent, a scholar, a leader Sea world Views from the House and Chapel of the Former Quinta do Unhão, as the serene Atlantic waters frame a Salvadoran sunset Fight club (Above) Mestre Nenel, son of the founding father of the Regional style, with Mestra Preguiça; (Below) Mestra Nani with the berimbau stringed instrument but the truth of it is more nebulous. Some measure it in numbers, age, experience, hours practised, songs learned. Others go further and say that a mestre must be consecrated by the community, that the mestre’s duty is a sacred one; they are a parent, a scholar, a leader. For most, the answer lies somewhere between hierarchy and heart. Certainly most would agree there is more to it than simply skill. It takes a while for the throng to disperse from the roda. Everyone, including me, wants to speak to Mestre Nenel. He is the son of Mestre Bimba, the founding father of Capoeira Regional. There are two main strands, but many permutations of capoeira. Regional is generally considered to be more athletic and faster with clearer stages of development, including a system of coloured cords, though even this varies between schools. Angola is associated with Mestre Pastinha, who championed the more traditional style. Some adherents have tried to merge the two strands in Capoeira Contemporânea. Mestre Bimba saw the educational potential in capoeira and aimed to legitimise the art, according to his son Mestre Nenel. He and his wife Mestra Preguiça run an impressive array of social projects for marginalised young people. They are keen to convey that it is their mission to protect and promote Mestre Bimba’s principles, to foster a sense of belonging and accomplishment in their charges. Mestra Preguiça touches on why it may have such broad and profound appeal: “It’s inclusive. It’s for everyone.” She has seen it give substance to lost kids’ lives in slums and solace to women she taught in a German prison. She also explains that these are not their real names, rather they are baptised with nicknames when they graduate. Mestra Preguiça (meaning lazy) is so-named because as a novice she was too shy to play, which her master interpreted as laziness and the name stuck, although she is demonstrably anything but. Emerging on to the vertiginous streets of Pelourinho I feel drums still echoing through my rib cage. Rhythm is everywhere in Salvador, in the tik-a-tik of samba on 26 / Jaguar Magazine Jaguar Magazine / 27