<![CDATA[Capoeira Beribazu Australia

<![CDATA[Capoeira Beribazu Australia - BLOG]]>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 06:33:23 +1000Weebly<![CDATA[VI Capoeiroo Beribazu 2021 - 10 years of beribazu australia]]>Fri, 22 Apr 2022 05:28:25 GMThttp://beribazuaustralia.com/blog/vi-capoeiroo-beribazu-2021-10-years-of-beribazu-australiaDespite the challenging pandemic times, we were grateful to have hosted yet another enjoyable event, the VI Capoeiroo Beribazu counting with the knowledge sharing of our friends Instrutora Pensadora (Xango Capoeira) who facilitated our adults workshop, and Mestrando Perere (Ungu Capoeira) who hosted our kids worksho.

The event also counted with our adults and kids student's grading, rodas and the acknowledgement and celebration of 10 years of Group Beribazu in Australia!

Check out the event photos here :)

]]><![CDATA[IV CAPOEIROO BERIBAZU - IT'S A WRAP!]]>Sun, 03 Nov 2019 14:00:00 GMThttp://beribazuaustralia.com/blog/iv-capoeiroo-beribazu-its-a-wrapWe're still in the high from such a great weekend of learnings and happiness exchange! Endless thanks to everyone who took time away from their lives to be with us this weekend. From hard work to relaxation, from good laughs to some happy tears, from feijoada to dessert, from dancing like crazy until the band had to stop. We hope you had some fun!

>Thanks to our guests from Brazil Mestre José Luiz Cirqueira Falcao and Mestre China C.D.O for your amazing energy!

>Thanks to our Australian capoeira community that helps us grow strong every day: Mestre Gilson Contra-Mestre Caracol, Mestrando Perere, Treinel Madeira, Instrutora Pensadora, Professora Paula Gusmao, Instrutor Catatau, Professor Pehzao, Professor Marcelo, Instrutor Rocha, Instrutor Cascudo, Professor Ouriço, Professor Jesito, and the Graduad@s: Serenata, Quebra, Maluco, Panda, Lobo Mal, Amy, Marco, Gordura, Bermuda, and Tracey. Thanks to Professora Paula Rios for sharing her journey for our panel and for the best wishes from Mestre Luizinho Barravento.

>Thanks to our dear students for their trust: Aspirina, Camomila, Locutor, Pastel, Continha, Archie Reyes, Beija-flor, Pe de Cabra, Canjica, Cafe com Leite, Nemo, Papagaio, Remix, Chiclete, Rueben, and Amanda.

>Thanks to the dear students from other schools who were also essential to make our event possible: Chorinho, Larissa, Camila, Joao, Corina, Yana, Justin CTM, Courtney, Via Marie, Lovely Sia, Cachoeira, Emma Kate, Flip Per, Caju, Yolanda Kate, Gary, Bianca Andrade.

>To our dear childminder Ale, to Cinara Cristina Ambrosio & Canjica for the delicious food, to the Brazilian band Brazo Duo for the great music, to Rafa Oliveira for the grading photos.

Aqui vai o nosso M U I T O O B R I G A D @!!!

Click here for the full photo album.

Até a próxima.
Pequeno & Deia

]]><![CDATA[Together, we can push for change to benefit the next generation of women.]]>Mon, 07 May 2018 14:00:00 GMThttp://beribazuaustralia.com/blog/together-we-can-push-for-change-to-benefit-the-next-generation-of-womenTo celebrate women's day 2018, The University of Queensland published multiple sorties about 'UQ Women who create change' and our Instructor Deia was the subject of one of them.

Read the full story here.

]]><![CDATA[Reflections on gender equality in Capoeira]]>Mon, 05 Mar 2018 14:00:00 GMThttp://beribazuaustralia.com/blog/reflections-on-gender-equality-in-capoeiraHistorically, women have had a diminished role in Capoeira. While this is a product of historical and socio-cultural aspects intrinsically linked to the participation of women in society and in sports, we, as active agents in the process of recreation and perpetuation of Capoeira must be critical in making sure we evolve our practice to reflect the society we live in.

In the society we live in, no one is to be discriminated based on sex, chosen gender, sexuality, religion, race, physical (dis)abiltiy, pregnancy and parental status.

Despite there being many women practicing Capoeira today, leadership positions are still mostly occupied by men. This statement is not to blame men for such achievements, but to pose the question about what can be improved in order for more women to achieve higher ranks.

To put this debate in perspective and clarify that this is not a problem created by Capoeira but a problem that needs to be addressed in Capoeira, below is a parallel with the women’s participation in sports, in the Olympic Games in particular, which is the world’s leading sports event.

The First Modern Olympic Games was held in Athens in 1896 and the first female participation in the Games happened in Paris, in 1900. From there, female participation slowly increased, however the first female participation in a martial-art modality in the Games only happened in 1992, where women competed for the first time in Fencing and Judo. Fast tracking 20 years forward, the 2012 London Olympic Games became a hallmark for women in the Games, as it marked the first Olympic Games to have females competing in all sports modalities and females representing all participating nations.

In the Capoeira context in Brazil, until the 1970’s, a woman who practiced Capoeira was not well seen in society and ‘lutas’ (fights) were still seen as a men’s territory.

From this time on, more and more, women are involved in Capoeira as students, professoras and mestras. However, when questioning any women who have been practicing Capoeira for a few years, most of them will express some dissatisfaction about the predominant male domination in Capoeira, where leadership is concerned.

There are many aspects that can be listed as the cause for such dissatisfaction, out of which, some examples are discussed here. Some of these aspects relate to grading, performance expectation and fear of backlash. One example is the fact that women usually do not progress to higher belts at the same pace as men, which can be attributed to oversight, incorrect evaluation criteria or due to pregnancy breaks (reduced training despite continuous commitment) not counting as training time to progress into next belt.

Slow progression to higher belts could also be related to a silent expectation for women to ‘deserve’ certain spaces only when they can play Capoeira like man, neglecting obvious biological differences such as strength and speed, where on average, men will outperform women. It is important to note that this refers to average, meaning that there will be women who outperform men on these attributes. The point here is not to confuse biological differences with inability to perform.

Another aspect can relate to fear of ‘putting oneself out there’ due to numerous reports of women suffering physical aggression due to being at a higher level and being ‘put to the test’ in the roda with a man who abuses his strength, power and/or speed advantages over the woman in a game.
Other aspects can be more subtle and due to a lack of awareness around the equality debate. A well known aspect is music in Capoeira, with songs being sung that clearly diminish the role of women in Capoeira or objectify women both in Capoeira and in society as a whole.

The lack of an open debate about gender inequality also aggravates the dissatisfaction, so there is an urgent need for women to speak up about inequalities. In recent times, many women are emerging as role models in Capoeira and leading the debate about the topic. However, more female protagonism is required whereby women take the lead in teaching and running groups and events, as historically many have somewhat accepted to be in the background.

Despite the emergence of more and more professoras and mestras in Brazil and around the world, it is not uncommon to see women not always being acknowledged for the work they do in Capoeira when at the same level as men. On the same note, it is the exception rather than the rule that professoras and mestras are guest teachers with paid expenses (at the same volume as men) in Capoeira events.

These are just some examples of many aspects that can be revised to ensure equal space and opportunity are given to all, as the goal of this brief overview is to start an open debate on the topic amid our Australian Capoeira community, where people from all sex and genders can have a voice. Education is always a first step towards change, so it is necessary to spread this debate to reach people who may not be aware of these issues.

Many male teachers have long ago realised these issues and moved into a more inclusive way of teaching and running groups, however as a Capoeira community on its entirety, there is room for improvement. So, all of those that make up the Capoeira community (students, professor@s and mestr@s) must understand the pain points around gender equality and hopefully start to review their actions to ensure that equal opportunities are being created for all.

Apart from that, there also needs to be a change of attitude on the part of women to make better use of the opportunities that are already open to them in order to reach their full potential by teaching classes, leading groups, events and/or speaking up and having a voice in case they feel something is not right.

It is also important to note that there have been many achievements for women in society, sports and Capoeira. However, for the most part, many achievements have been the result of action and resistance movements where people who felt disadvantaged raised their hands in search for more equal treatment.

In Capoeira, the number of women in higher belts is slowly increasing and as a category, women are now working more and more together via different networks and across Capoeira groups for the greater good, beyond group names and individuals, which is very inspiring.
As we start to see this change of attitude by men and women already involved in Capoeira, coupled with an increase in the female representativeness and protagonism, the causes of dissatisfaction discussed above are likely to reduce.

Here is hope that Capoeira spaces can become more visibly open to all, beyond sex and gender stereotypes, with everyone working together so that Capoeira can continue to exist as an outlet of freedom for all.

Author: Professora Deia leads up Capoeira Beribazu Australia alongside Professor Pequeno. She is a student of Mestre Falcao, from Group Beribazu Brazil. She has been practicing Capoeira for twenty years and teaches Capoeira for adults and kids in Brisbane. The central ideas of this article come from current debates about ‘Gender equality in Capoeira’ within Grupo Beribazu. We have an online forum formed by people of all genders, grading levels, academics and non-academics, with the goal of ensuring we reflect on and move forward with our times.

]]><![CDATA[Great read: "Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art"]]>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMThttp://beribazuaustralia.com/blog/great-read-the-history-of-an-afro-brazilian-martial-art-the-book-capoeira-the-history-of-an-afro-brazilian-martial-artCapoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art The book "Capoeira: The History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art" by Matthias Rohrig Assuncao explores capoeira as a field of confrontation where different struggles that divide Brazilian society are played out.

It contains a first English language scholarly account of capoeira’s early history and development to the present day.

Matthias Röhrig Assunção is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of History and the Centre for LatinAmerican Studies, University of Essex, England. His previous publications deal with slavery in Maranhão(Northern Brazil), popular culture and the political history of the Brazilian Empire.

Available on Amazon.

Happy reading!

]]>