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A graceful Martial Art in which the accomponying music was originally used to mislead the Portugese oppressor. Capoeira, which means inconspicuous weed in Portugese, was "secretly" being practiced by slaves centuries ago. The "fight" takes place in a circle. "This circle need to be closed, or else the energy flows out of it" says Jason Leckie, student from Maastricht, the Netherlands.

 

(Photo by Philip Driessen)

 

 

Article

A sport of slaves, perfect remedy against the unwillingness to study
The Surinamese Jason Leckie (23), third-year student of Biological Health Science, starts the video. It is a recording of a Capoeira-demonstration, a kind of Martial Art accomponied by music. A few years ago Leckie and fellow student Hans Ketelslegers (22) were the only students in Maastricht who practiced Capoeira. "In Brazil it is the second most popular sport next to soccer."

Prejudice
"It is fairly difficult to explain what Capoeira is, that is why I showed you the video. Contrary to boxing for example, you are not supposed to hit each other. The purpose is to try and get your opponent to fall down by impressing him/her with fast flashy moves, which seem to come out of nothing. It is about sneakiness and fake moves. This all has to do with the background of the sport.."

History
"Capoeira was invented centuries ago by slaves in Brazil in order to defend themselves against the Portugese opressors. The accomponying music and dance were a coverup as it had to be practiced in secret. The songs contain instructions for the game (jogo) in order to make it seamlessly change into a innocent dance.. That is also the reasoning behind the name; Capoeira in Portugese means literally 'inconspicuous weed', nobody notices it, but still it is there. De roda is a circle of practicioners, wherein the game is played. In order to become a true Capoeirista, you will have to know the history of capoeira and learn how to play all musical instruments. Instruments like the Berimbau, a kind of bow with a calabash as resonance-box.

Trance
"The roda stands for 'circle of life' and mutual respect. When playing the jogo, you subconciously notice if the circle is closed or not. It sounds strange, but the circle needs to be closed, or else the energy flows out. The upbeat music lets you achieve things you normally cannot do. I get dizzy quite quickly normally when doing a couple of spinning kicks. In the Roda (circle) it is no problem."

Charm
"I was in the Netherlands for one year and didn't have any good friends. This changed when I got in contact with Capoeira thru Hans. I knew the sport from Suriname and have always felt attracted to it. But I didn't know that you could practice it here in Maastricht. To me it is a link to my home country. . Back to the roots,you know. Furthermore it is a perfect remedy against the unwillingness to study. Because of the ambience, song and dance I feel fully energized after each session."

Injuries
"Because you are not supposed to hit each other, injuries don't occur often. It is very important however to constantly pay attention. This further amplified by the fact that because of the fluid movements, the next attack can come from anywhere. before you know it, you may have a foot in your face. The most important may well be a good warming-up. Starting practicioners want to do acrobatic stunts way too early, wich can have some nasty consequences."

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