Congo Refugees on Peace Through Capoeira, Rio Olympics

Rolha Capoeira

1 minute read

Celine Schmitt’s article for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Ahead of Rio 2016, capoeira brings a taste of Brazil to DRC:

“Before we had capoeira, we had problems. Capoeira brought peace, self-control and love,” says Diack, one of Gardinois’ students. “Now we live well together, we are relaxed and are able to control ourselves. We also live well with the host population. They also come to do capoeira with us in the evening. We walk them home and we talk.”
Read the full story and watch the…

Will Marvel’s Black Panther Be Using Capoeira?

Rolha Capoeira

3 minute read

Capoeira, Black Panther, and Chadwick Boseman

Actor Chadwick Boseman, chosen to portray the character on the big screen in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, said in an interview with EW in December:
“There are some animal forms, but not just cat. He could be a snake, or various different styles. Obviously there’s an opportunity to do some capoeira.”
Now, I’m not sure why it’s so obvious to Boseman, but let’s speculate.

Capoeira In the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rolha Capoeira

1 minute read

Any dedicated capoeirista could tell you their personal story about how capoeira has offered them something that nothing else was able to – be it expression, escape, or companionship. However, not everyone can claim to have found the kind of salvation it offers to many boys in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a joint effort by UNICEF, the Congolese NGO Concert d’Actions pour Jeunes et Enfants Défavorisés, and the Brazilian Embassy has brought capoeira to…