Posts tagged Bahia

From Bahia to Utah: A Capoeira Legacy Continues

Folk Arts Apprenticeship

Utah Arts & Museums with National Endowment for the Arts funding

In late 2024, Taina, the niece of Mestre Jamaika, immigrated to the United States from Bahia, Brazil—bringing with her the deep cultural roots of her Afro-Brazilian heritage. Soon after her arrival, she began an apprenticeship in capoeira under the guidance of her uncle. This project was made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), administered by the Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program of Utah Arts & Museums.

The apprenticeship provided dedicated time and resources for Mestre Jamaika—a capoeira master, artist, and culture bearer—to mentor Taina in capoeira’s rich traditions, which blend movement, music, history, and community. Together, they explored their shared family history as well as capoeira’s movement, musical foundations, and cultural meaning, with a shared goal of keeping their ancestral traditions alive in a new country.

As part of the project, Taina also had the opportunity to share her learning with the public. At Quilombola Roots, a cultural event hosted by Salt Lake Capoeira in spring 2025, she presented to an audience of nearly 200 people, speaking about her ancestry and family heritage and performing a powerful maculelê stick dance—an Afro-Brazilian folk dance often practiced alongside capoeira.

Background of Capoeira & Their Quilombola Heritage

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form that was created by enslaved Africans in Brazil to help overcome oppression by practicing combat and self defense disguised as a dance. Today there are vibrant quilombo communities with descendants of African-Brazilians who were enslaved and who birthed the Afro-Brazilian arts. Mestre Jamaika’s family comes from these quilombos. His mother was born and raised in the Volta Miúda quilombo, and his father in the Helvécia quilombo.

Growing up in such a rural area and in poverty meant that his parents didn’t have a chance to go to school and learn to read. They moved with their kids to a bigger town to provide more educational opportunities, and Jamaika grew up visiting these familial quilombos on weekends and summers and learning the oral history and traditions from his elders.

Capoeira continued to evolve as it expanded from these rural farm areas to the cities throughout northeast Brazil, then the entire country, and finally the United States and the world. Today capoeira continues to preserve and pass on the values and stories of the quilombo communities through dance and song and movement, where all are part of the circle.

As capoeira continues to be practiced by people of all backgrounds around the world, it’s especially important to foster and train the next generation of Afro-Brazilian practitioners who carry its heritage in their lineage. Ensuring that Afro-Brazilian people remain central as cultural bearers helps preserve the art form’s roots and integrity.

A Conversation Between Mestre Jamaika & Taina

As part of their Folk Arts Apprenticeship project, Mestre Jamaika and his niece Taina reflected on their shared journey of cultural preservation and learning. Their story highlights the importance of intergenerational mentorship, family connections, and passing down traditional knowledge through the art of capoeira.

Q: Mestre Jamaika, how has teaching Taina been different from working with other students in your capoeira community?

“With Taina, we speak the same language—not just Portuguese, but the language of where we come from. We share the same blood—the blood of the people who created capoeira. We come from the same land, the same story. We carry memories of the same place and people, just from different times.”

— Mestre Jamaika

Q: Taina, what has it been like learning capoeira from your uncle now that you’re living in the U.S.?
Taina: "It’s really special. Capoeira in Brazil was good too, but I like training with my uncle here even more. It feels really good to be close to him."

Q: Taina, why did you start practicing capoeira?
Taina: "My uncle started capoeira when he was young and he’s a big inspiration to me. I wanted to learn more, so I asked my mom if I could take lessons when we were still in Brazil. It has to do with both my grandma and grandpa, and it connects to our family’s history. I think it’s cool that it comes from my Black roots. It’s something important to me—something from when our family was being persecuted. And I love it."

Q: Mestre Jamaika, what parts of capoeira or Afro-Brazilian culture have felt most important to emphasize in this apprenticeship?
Mestre Jamaika: "I focused a lot on history and music—because that’s where the stories live. I shared what I learned from my grandma and my mom. They were the matriarchs, the storytellers of our family. That’s how our culture lives on."

Q: Taina, what was your favorite part of the apprenticeship—movement, music, or something else?
Taina: "Music! We have a really strong connection to our culture through music, and I learned a lot."

Q: Mestre Jamaika, was there a moment during the apprenticeship that stood out to you?
Mestre Jamaika: "One day, I was trying to teach her a song, and she ended up teaching me. I had forgotten some lyrics, but she remembered them because she had just come from Bahia. That moment really stuck with me."

Q: Taina, how do you feel when you're in the roda or playing music with others in the capoeira community?
Taina: "I feel happy and full of energy. It makes me want to move more."

Q: Taina, can you describe a moment that made you feel proud or more confident?
Taina: "Yes! When I learned how to do the movement called 'macaquinho.' It gave me confidence and showed me that if I work hard, I can do things I didn’t think I could."

Q: Taina, what has been the most challenging part of your capoeira journey so far?
Taina: "Learning how to play the instruments the right way. That part is hard."

Q: Taina, what’s something you’ve learned from Mestre Jamaika that you’ll always carry with you?

“I learned to never give up. Even if you can’t do something right away, always try.”

— Taina

Q: Mestre Jamaika, what surprised you about this experience—either in Taina’s growth or your own?
Mestre Jamaika: "One surprise was how many questions she asked—and how many I couldn’t answer. It reminded me how much I still need to learn. Our history in Brazil has been hidden or destroyed by colonizers. My mom didn’t have a camera until she got a phone just a few years ago. I have almost no photos from my childhood. Those memories are just missing. Everything takes double effort for us. We don’t just teach our culture—we have to go find it, protect it, and pass it on. That’s why this work is so important."

Q: Taina, why do you think it’s important for young people—especially Afro-Brazilians—to learn about their culture through art?
Taina: "So our culture doesn’t die. We need to always have someone to represent our culture."

Q: Mestre Jamaika, why do you think it’s important for arts organizations to support cultural transmission within families and immigrant communities?
Mestre Jamaika: "School can teach facts, but culture is learned through connection—through music, dance, and shared experience. Capoeira brings all of that together. For immigrant families like mine, it helps us stay connected to our roots. But it’s not just for us—it gives Americans a chance to learn about other cultures and enhance their own lives in a real, personal way. That builds understanding and respect.

The problem is, most artists can’t make a living just teaching their traditions. Support from arts organizations makes it possible to pass on this knowledge. I’ve had students tell me capoeira changed their lives. That’s powerful. It helps keep our culture alive, especially in places far from where it started. I’m grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Utah Arts & Museums, Salt Lake Arts Council, and Utah Arts Alliance that have all helped me invest more time in my art."

Q: Mestre Jamaika, how do you hope this experience shapes Taina’s future—in capoeira and beyond?
Mestre Jamaika: "Taina is a very smart girl. I feel lucky I got to spend this time with her. I could see her becoming a folklorist and capoeira mestra one day. She’s proud of her roots and wants to help our community back home. She’s in a position to do something many kids in Volta Miúda may never get the chance to do."

Q: Taina, what are your goals now that you’ve completed this apprenticeship?
Taina: "To evolve and become a mestra in capoeira like my uncle. I want to carry his legacy on."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Salt Lake Capoeira 🇧🇷Jiu-Jitsu (@saltlakecapoeira)

Amanda RomualdoMay 29, 2025Bahia, maculele, Afro-Brazilian, NEA, Brazil, Capoeira

Mestre Jamaika’s ACE Artist Residency

Mestre Jamaika had a chance to spend a week in the beautiful Wasatch mountains through the Alta Community Enrichment (ACE) Artist in Residence Program which “provides an artist the opportunity to reflect, relax, and create in the inspiring mountains of Alta, Utah.”

He shares, “I’m not a skier, extreme hiker, climber, or mountain biker, but I feel at home when I have the chance to be in nature. I like to walk in Utah’s mountains and meditate and escape the stresses of everyday life. The combination of the inspiring and calming experience of being at Alta with pursuing some of my artistic goals was an incredible opportunity.”

Rest

Tell us a little about your experience at Alta.

“I have spent quite a bit of time on my own on the tropical coast of Brazil where I’m from, but I haven’t spent very much time alone in nature in the US, and this was a really special experience. I think my first-ever solo hike was during my residency. I spent some time on the trails every day and at first, I was a little nervous, but the friendly vibes and conversations with other hikers, and the welcoming landscape helped me feel comfortable.”

“This feeling is healing.”

In what ways were you able to rest?

“I started practicing capoeira nearly 40 years ago, and when I was younger, I did a lot of acrobatics. This use of my body all of these years has taken a toll, and I deal with chronic pain. I still practice capoeira almost every day, and it’s the way I make money to live. I was grateful for the opportunity to spend time physically resting and stretching. I also spent time studying a book called The Way Out by Alan Gordon. Within the last year, a Little Cottonwood Canyon advocate named Mary Young introduced me to a method of pain management called Pain Reprocessing Therapy. I practiced this reprocessing and really noticed an improvement in my physical pain.”

Were you also able to rest mentally during your residency?

“That was the best part. On my hikes, I’d stop in places with a beautiful view or next to a stream and spend hours playing my berimbau and exploring movement inspired by my surroundings. The combination of being in that environment and practicing my art form was transformational and felt healing. On one of my hikes, I was experiencing those healing vibrations, and passed a hiker and said, ‘This feeling is healing!’ and they laughed and said it back.

I’ve lived in Utah for about 25 years but only started spending time in the mountains for the past few years. Like a lot of people, I started to explore more of my ‘backyard’ during the pandemic. I’m someone who has worked with people my whole life and given energy to that. In return, I receive a lot of positive energy from others. But sometimes the energy exchange can be a lot.

I have discovered that when I’m in nature, I feel its healing, generous energy, and I felt it every day during my week at Alta. When I first started tuning in to this feeling a few years ago, I had the realization that nature is the only place that gives and doesn’t expect something of me in return. The weight of others’ expectations of me can sometimes feel heavy or unbalanced . . . with students, family here and in Brazil, and the community I left behind in my homeland. As a leader of my capoeira community in Salt Lake and as someone who comes from an area where family members and friends need a lot of financial help and other types of support, the weight of all that can be overwhelming. Through some especially hard times, I found a lot of solace in nature.

But I was wrong about my first ‘realization’ that nature gives and expects nothing in return. It needs us to take care of her too.”

Reflection

How did you use the time during your residency in reflection?

“Capoeira is an art form that was forged over centuries by enslaved Africans in Brazil—my ancestors. It’s an art of resistance and of overcoming. I spent time learning about and reflecting on an issue we’re experiencing in Utah, and another one that my people in my area of Brazil are facing. I remember the first time I flew to Salt Lake City in 1999. I saw the Great Salt Lake and I thought, ‘I didn’t know Utah had an ocean.’ And 25 years later, that ‘ocean’ is in crisis. The small village in Brazil where my family comes from is also in crisis and some of the reasons and impacts are similar to what we are experiencing in Utah. I reflected on how I can bring these issues forward in my artistic work.”

Can you share about the crisis your Volta Miúda Quilombo community in Brazil is facing?

“My community in Brazil is experiencing a water crisis that is similar to Utah’s in some ways. My parents were born in quilombos [communities originating from settlements of Afro-Brazilians who were enslaved] where capoeira came from. My grandparents were farmers, and as a young child I often walked with my grandma to get water from our river. Over the years, our land has been stolen and exploited by a billion-dollar paper pulp industry that uses destructive monoculture farming practices, polluting and exhausting our essential water sources. The river I used to walk to as a child has dried up. We also need policies and regulations to change, to center human, animal, and plant life over profit. My cousin is the leader of the village where I’m from, and he has worked hard for decades to gain our land rights back and help heal the area. And we need more help.”

From the National Farmer’s Union of Canada (regarding the video above): “Hear from a Quilombola community leader in the Atlantic Forest biozone of Brazil who is fighting to grow food for their families and communities in direct resistance to the expansion of destructive eucalyptus tree plantations controlled by the major pulp company Suzano. Quilombola communities are fighting for legal recognition of their lands as Suzano continues to encroach on local farms and traditional community lands. Célio Pinheiro Leocádio is a Quilombola, born in the Quilombo of Volta Miúda, in Bahia state and President of the Association of Remaining Quilombola Producers of Volta Miúda.”

The crisis in Mestre Jamaika's village in Brazil, shown above, is affecting their water supply.

Can you tell us a little more about your learnings about Great Salt Lake?

“I spent some time during my residency learning more about what’s happening with lake and ways we can help. I watched a lot of videos from local organizations doing this work. Earlier this year, I applied for a project grant with the Salt Lake Arts Council called Wake the Great Salt Lake. I wasn’t awarded the grant, but the process led me on a path of learning and raising awareness. I’m looking forward to seeing what the awarded artists and arts organizations share through this important project.”

From the Salt Lake Arts Council: Wake the Great Salt Lake is a temporary public art project that aims to educate and inspire residents and visitors to understand and prevent the further decline of the Great Salt Lake. Without action, the collapse of the Great Salt Lake would have major implications for the ecology and economy of the city, state, and region. The project is supported by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, and Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge.

“My sister-in-law, Keely Song, is a dance professor at BYU and has created dance projects working with Ben Abbott, another BYU professor who studies ecology and has been one of the most impactful scientists to bring awareness to the crisis at Great Salt Lake. It’s been awesome seeing her work to raise awareness through art. I think this recent video by Dr. Abbott for the Wake the Great Salt Lake project gives a really good summary of what’s happening and how we can help. The notes under the video were some of my biggest take-aways.”

Notes from the Wake the Great Salt Lake Video

What’s happening?

Great Salt Lake is facing collapse within 5 years, even with the large amount of water we got in 2023 and 2024.

Why does it matter?

Great Salt Lake has great spiritual significance to Utah’s Indigenous tribes.
The lake is supporting national industry and our global food supply—more than most of us realize.
We see a pattern of absolute cultural, economic, and ecological devastation when other saline lakes have been lost like what happened with the Aral Sea. Clusters of diseases also emerge caused by pollution from the lakebed.
We have to save the lake or else whole cities and whole regions will to be abandoned.

Why is it under collapse?

The crisis is caused by the overuse of water (but not by our growing population) and exacerbated by climate change.
It’s from human use of water: 80% is agricultural (2/3 going to alfalfa and hay to feed livestock), 10% mineral extraction, and 10% cities.

What can we do?

We need artists, community leaders, and political leaders across the spectrum to be working on this so we create an awakening of our values and a change in our vision. We need a broadening of the love that we have for our home . . . and with that, good policy will be inevitable.
We need to understand water and conserve water.
We need to figure out how farmers can use less water to water their crops and provide ways to compensate them for their conservation efforts.

Creation

During Mestre Jamaika’s residency, he spent his time exploring capoeira movement inspired by the natural surroundings of mountains, waterfalls, and streams. He connected with some University of Utah film students and scouted a few locations for a possible film project to help bring awareness at the crisis at Great Salt Lake. He also spent time connecting and coordinating with his cousin, Celio, for some future events showcasing capoeira and bringing awareness to the crisis at his home village. His cousin is applying for a visa to visit the US this fall, in hopes of making connections in the US to help their efforts in Brazil.

Can you tell us more about what you were able to work toward during your residency?

“I’m excited about conversations and ideas that were sparked during my time at Alta, and I look forward to seeing how it will all unfold. Capoeira is an art form that was developed and cultivated outside in nature, and I think it’s a perfect way to help bring awareness to these issues.

I also really enjoyed teaching a capoeira class for the ACE program, and I hope to keep coming back to share capoeira with the ACE community in the future.”

“Capoeira’s movements reflect water, which engages with and relies on its surroundings in fluid action and reaction.”