Thanks to Canada’s National Farmer’s Union for hosting this important conversation about the illegal and unjust practices of a multi-billion dollar eucalyptus company taking over the land of the Volta Miúda quilombo in Bahia, Brazil, and what the quilombo is doing to fight it. Jamaika’s cousin, Celio Leocadio, joined the conversation; he is the president of the Volta Miúda quilombo association. A quilombo is a community originating from a settlement of African-Brazilians who were enslaved. Mestre Jamaika founded the Volta Miúda capoeira group named after the region where his family comes from. Volta Miúda lies in a small, rural corner of Bahia, Brazil, the birthplace of capoeira. It’s an officially registered quilombo by the state of Bahia, and continues to thrive with the fusion of African and Brazilian culture.

Here is the description of the video from the Farmer’s Union:

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.

Indigenous territories and lands settled by Quilombola have been grabbed for eucalyptus tree plantations – and the expansion is not over. The industrial plantations of the largest pulp company in the world, Brazilian company Suzano, surround and cut off many small farming communities. They exhaust local water sources and expose people, crops and farm animals to pesticide spray. Eucalyptus tree plantations have dried up streams, rivers and even lakes in territories where land rights are disputed. The plantations replace native forest, and support no animal life except for eucalyptus pollen that feeds bees.

The Rural Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) is taking back plantation land and transforming it into agroecological and agroforestry farming. They argue the land can be productive for farming and people instead of pulp production and Suzano. Quilombola communities are fighting for legal recognition of their lands as Suzano continues to encroach on local farms and traditional community lands.

Lucy Sharratt and Kaitlyn Duthie-Kannikkatt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN, https://cban.ca/) met with these leaders during community visits in Brazil as part of an international delegation to exchange information on genetically engineered trees and industrial plantations in May 2023.

Background video 1: In front of eucalyptus harvest, Celio describes the resistance to the eucalyptus plantations and the impacts – a good look at the eucalyptus plantation: https://vimeo.com/848561605

Background video 2: MST leader in the state of Espirito Santo describes that Suzano company dominate the area – we resist by producing healthy food: https://vimeo.com/848025334

Additional Background Info: The pulp company Suzano says it owns 1.4 million hectares of eucalyptus plantations in Brazil. This includes Indigenous territories, and lands settled by Quilombola and peasant peoples and communities. Suzano’s eucalyptus plantations are responsible for serious social, environmental and climate harm, including deforestation, pollution, water shortages, and destruction of fertile lands. In the state of Espírito Santo, families of the Rural Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) produce more than 100 tonnes of food per year on land that they have taken back from Suzano’s eucalyptus. Nobody eats eucalyptus, and more than 33 million families go hungry in Brazil. If Suzano's 1.4 million hectares of plantations were used for land reform, it would be enough to ensure the survival of more than 115,000 families. – excerpted from “What you should know about Suzano Papel e Celulose”, World Rainforest Movement, 2023: https://cban.ca/wp-content/uploads/Wh...

Célio Pinheiro Leocádio is a Quilombola, born in the Quilombo of Volta Miúda, in Caravelas in the far south of Bahia state, in the north-east of Brazil. He is a mobiliser and activist. He is Coordinator of the Quilombola Movements and Articulation of the Far South of Bahia and he is President of the Association of Remaining Quilombola Producers of Volta Miúda – Caravelas.

Diosmar Filho is a PhD candidate in Geography at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) in Brazil. He is a researcher and scientific coordinator of the Iyaleta Research Association where he leads the "Inequalities and Climate Change" research. He coordinated the research project "Urban Legal Amazon - Socio-spatial Analyses of Climate Change (2020/2022)" and is currently co-leading the research project "Climate Adaptation: an intersection between Brazil 2022-2024.

This short film by Jacek Makowski features our capoeira school and an overview of the art form as well as our Salt Lake Capoeira community.

In this interview Cida Vanderplasfor with US Brasil TV highlights capoeira, Mestre Jamaika, and his work preserving and sharing the beautiful Afro-Brazilian art form of his people. They are also joined by Professor Lagartixa.

In 2005, Mestre Jamaika took part in Steve Bartholomew’s documentary about capoeira.

This article from Jeff Vice of the Deseret News in 2010 interviews Steve and discuss the film:

Film review: Film project explores Brazilian capoeira dancing

Even Steve Bartholomew is surprised by the "long shelf life" of his graduate school project, "Capoeira: The Dance of Freedom."

The 30-minute documentary was produced on his "own dime" in 2005 and was part of his requirements for graduation from the University of Utah.

However, since then it's been shown at the Gloria International Film Festival, a local event where it took home an award (Best Short Documentary) in 2006.

And in 2008, Bartholomew got to show "The Dance of Freedom" at the Paulinia Film Festival, the second largest film event in Brazil.

As he recalled, "When I saw just how big this festival was, I got sick to my stomach. I was so nervous."

The 33-year-old filmmaker did report that the movie was well-received by audiences there, though he also had a "series of misadventures" that included lost luggage, passport problems and bad timing — his wife was almost due to give birth to their second child at the time.

Capoeira (pronounced COP-oh-EH-rah) is something Bartholomew discovered while serving an LDS mission in Brazil.

This performance artform/activity combines aspects of martial arts training, acrobatics and dance. And it is often performed with the accompaniment of traditional Brazilian instruments, such as the berimbau. The one-stringed instrument looks like a bow and arrow with a small drum attached to it.

For most Americans, capoeira is an oddity. It was seen in joking fashion in the comedy "Meet the Fockers" (2004) and very briefly in the 1944 Disney Donald Duck short "The Three Caballeros."

But for Batholomew, it was "an eye-opening experience."

Capoeira "is just electric, so full of life and energy," he said.

Bartholomew remained fascinated with it even when he returned to the United States. And while he was pursuing a degree in communication at the U., he decided to center his final project on it. That included not only the short, but an accompanying 250-page paper as well.

"I guess I went a little overboard," he said, laughing.

"The Dance of Freedom" not only shows capoeira performances, it also explores its origins — including theories that it was created by Africans who were brought to Brazil by Portuguese slavers.

"It may have begun as a way for the slaves to rebel and to express themselves," he said.

Given its questionable and uncertain roots, capoeira is still treated with a skeptical eye by some Brazilians, which is "really surprising," according to Bartholomew.

His film does note that gaining acceptance in its homeland, though.

See the whole article here.

We were featured on ABC4 News Utah as we highlighted our Afro-Arts Celebration. We showcased capoeira as well as Abi Goddey of 365 Poetry and Erick Fungo who shared his Tanzanian arts. See the feature on their website here.

SALT LAKE CITY — Mauro Romualdo's students — who are more like a chosen family — call him by his capoeira name, Mestre Jamaika.

"Mestre," which is Portuguese for teacher, is a title of respect used for capoeira masters. It's an apt title for Romualdo not only because of his 37 years practicing capoeira but also because of the respect and love he garners from those he's lifted up through capoeira.

"I've always had capoeira in my blood. It was just a matter of time to get to see it and activate it," he said. "Capoeira was started 100% in Brazil by my ancestors when they were forced to come to the country and become slaves. They created capoeira as a self defense disguised as a dance."

Romualdo credits capoeira — which is a combination of dance, martial arts and acrobatic movements — for transforming himself into the man he is today. As a young boy growing up in Bahia, Brazil, he felt that people looked through him instead of really seeing him.

"I remember being a young kid in Brazil and — today I know what it is — but back then I was confused and I was like why do I feel like I'm being excluded? No matter what I did, people always saw me in a different way. People never gave me the value that I felt I deserved," Romualdo continued. "Brazil is a very beautiful country. The diversity in that country is amazing, but we still have to deal with a lot of issues. Brazil was one of the last nations in the world to free my people and make us free. With that comes a lot of discrimination."

That changed when he started practicing capoeira at age 7. Romualdo started to master the aerobatic moves typical of the art form.

"Of course if you flip over seven people, people in the streets would stop and give you their attention," he said. "I would use those moments to educate people, like 'Hey, it's good that you guys give me this attention, but there's a lot of other people out there that deserve this attention and don't have any.'"

Those moments were the beginning of Romualdo's lifelong journey to replicate the change capoeira has made in his own life, including founding Salt Lake Capoeira.

"I try to use capoeira as a tool to bring love into people's hearts, and that's my goal here in Salt Lake City," he said. "I don't feel that I'm teaching, like this if my job, or this and that — I feel like this is my mission, brining love to people's lives. ... You cannot imagine, the local people here, how much capoeira has been changing people in different ways. So many students come here and sometimes they're very shy, quiet and within their own self and all of a sudden they're outgoing and talking."

Romualdo said it felt like destiny once he landed in Utah. He initially came to teach a group of about 120 Brigham Young University students who had started a capoeira club after learning about it on missions in Brazil for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

One of the students had contacted Romualdo's former mestre, who taught them what they could but couldn't leave his business and family on the East Coast.

"They needed somebody that comes from the roots to keep sharing these vibes with them," he said. "I feel like it was destiny that brought me to Salt Lake. As soon as I got here, it was exactly what I was looking for. Capoeira made such a difference in my life, so I wanted to teach capoeira to as many people as I could. But I wanted to teach capoeira to people that had never seen capoeira before, so Utah was the perfect place."

Read the whole article here.

Sydnee Gonzalez from KSL News wrote a feature on our event which highlighted cultures of the African diaspora. Here’s an excerpt:

Utahns will get a unique look at a mix of dance and music stemming from the African diaspora — a population that totals 165.4 million in the Americas — this weekend.

"An Evening with Brazil, Africa and Puerto Rico" will feature half a dozen performance groups, ranging from Afro-Brazilian capoeira, a martial art that African slaves disguised as a dance, and Puerto Rican bomba, a dance originally used as a form of communication by enslaved individuals.

"We're actually very excited because of the mix of different cultures coming together to celebrate in one night," Salt Lake Capoeira founder Mauro Romualdo said. "Brazil, Puerto Rico and East Africa is an amazing combination because the end of the day, it all comes from the same roots, from the Africans who were free in Africa that continued that culture, plus the other Africans who were forced to leave their countries."

Romualdo said Africans influenced culture in the Americas in different manners due to the unique situations in each area. However, he added that there are some commonalities across places like Brazil, Puerto Rico and East Africa.

"I feel like the drums is what connects us. When we hear the music from Puerto Rico or Africa as well, it's very similar to what we hear in Brazil," he said. "In capoeira, the way that we form is in a circle and everybody is clapping hands and singing together. That's the same thing in Puerto Rico and in East Africa. The energy is different, but at the end of the day we are all engaged and we all connect again through the drums and the music."

Romualdo, known to his students as "Mestre Jamaika," has practiced capoeira since he was 7. He currently teaches about 70 families through Salt Lake Capoeira in addition to doing cultural outreach at schools and events. Proceeds from the event will go toward bringing 10 capoeira artists to Utah from Brazil, Canada and Mexico for a series of workshops for Salt Lake Capoeira students and local dancers.

"One of the things I love most about capoeira is the community that we've been working really hard on and creating in Salt Lake City. My classes have a huge diversity of people: local people from here in Salt Lake, people from Middle East, South America, Africa and Europe," Romualdo said. "It is very beautiful when you see that you're making a difference in people's lives through this beautiful art form."

Check it out here.

Craft Lake City interviewed Mestre Jamaika and he shares some of his journey in capoeira and sharing it with Salt Lake City. Read it here.

Daisy Blake reported on the work Mestre Jamaika does in Salt Lake City. Here’s an excerpt:

Mestre, which means master, Jamaika found his passion for capoeira at seven, living in Teixeira de Freitas, Bahia, Brazil. He began training under Mestre Gil, of Capoeira Garras De Ouro and by age 15 was traveling throughout Brazil to train and compete, later winning three consecutive titles in the Brazilian Capoeira Confederation Championships, all before age 20.

Certified to teach under the title of “Professor” in 1997, Mestre Jamaika’s skill and acrobatic talent have since placed him among the most sought-after instructors within the capoeira community, and he has taught and performed at workshops and events throughout the world.

He also has had roles in various independent films, documentaries, and music videos, and in Shockwave’s popular Capoeira Fighter 3 video game, aptly playing a character named Jamaika.

In June of 2013, Jamaika was awarded the title of “Mestre” by Mestre Amen.

He continues to give workshops all over the United States and the world for capoeira schools as well as for arts and professional dance programs.

He told us: “Capoeira is 100% from Brazil, and it was created by the Africans when they were forced to go to the country, then they become slaves in the country, then they create capoeira as a self-defense disguised as dance.

“Capoeira is just a beautiful art form. I like to say it’s an art form because there are so many things that are involved into this; it’s music, it’s dancing, it’s culture, it’s language, but the best of all that I love the most is the community, and especially the community that we are creating here in Salt Lake City for the last 20 years working with the Utah Arts Alliance.”

Mestre Jamaika said he initially wanted to master the art form to help to support his mother.

“Later on I discovered that I could not just help my mom but I could help many people,” he said. “And that’s my mission, that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 35 years of my life.”

Mestre Jamaika also spoke about coming to Salt Lake City and starting the Volta Miúda capoeira group in 2009, named after the region his family comes from.

“In 1999, I was invited by a group of people that was teaching capoeira, actually, practicing capoeira at BYU through a capoeira club that they created,” he said. “So the club becomes so big, and then they actually need somebody who knew a little bit more about the culture.”

He applied and was given a visa. He first moved to Utah, then to Massachusetts for about a year and a half, ultimately returning to the Beehive State.

“There was something about Utah that feels like it’s a magnetic thing. I think it’s the mountains, or something, you know?” he said. “So then I came back to Utah, and I’ve been here since.”

He added: “When I first got here, it was very difficult. I didn’t speak a word in English. I had to get used to the weather, ‘cos it’s a little bit different to where I come from. Also, as an immigrant I did all kinds of jobs you can think of — pizza delivery, construction, working in a hospital — but I always had this thought in my mind that my mission in this world is to spread out this beautiful art form which is capoeira.

“So I always had that in my mind and I kept training by myself, going to parks, sometimes doing off-hours when people go to the club and then they come out of clubs. They would go to a restaurant to eat, like Denny’s, and I would be in front of Denny’s doing capoeira, playing the berimbau, doing flips, just getting people’s attention. And then slowly build up a small group of people and start training in the park and slowly just become bigger and bigger.

“And here we are today with this beautiful community. In our community, we have many kids training, women, men, old men, young men, old women, young women. I like to say capoeira is for everybody.”

He also spoke about what the art form brings to people’s lives.

“Let’s put it this way, capoeira is great therapy. When you go there, interacting with other people, clapping hands, singing, dancing, challenging each other, my class is so beautiful. When you see a parent come with their own kids and jump in a circle, playing, smiling, then go home and start competing with each other but in a good way, it could not be better than that.

“How many times I have cases of people who come to my class, and they’re kind of quiet. I can tell, something’s going on with this person. Then, six months later, the person comes to me and be like, ‘thank you so much, this community saved my life. I was about to leave this world somehow, you know, I was in a deep depression, I was stressed, and all of a sudden, being with you guys, I feel alive again.’

“Every time we go in the streets and do performance, it’s something really beautiful. It’s very entertaining to people; people just watch it and feel like, whoa, this is awesome, you know? But then people always ask a question — are you guys dancing or are you guys fighting? We like to say, we dance like a fighter and we fight like a dancer, so that’s the best way to explain capoeira, you know what I mean?”

Mestre Jamaika said he recently took a group of 10 people to Brazil to explore the culture and the country. He said he couldn’t wait to have some of his mom’s food.

“My mom is my hero, and I like to say my mom is my first master,” he said. “She is the one who taught me who I am today. Everything I use in capoeira, my ideas, my passion I have towards capoeira definitely comes from my mom.”

He said he also has learned lessons from his dad, including focusing on the present rather than the future. “I feel it’s very important to be present, at the moment,” he said. “One thing my dad always used to tell me; try and not worry about the past, because if you worry about the past, you’re just hurting yourself twice, so try to learn from the past, leave the present and prepare yourself for the future.

“So my preparation for the future is just believe in my people, and make sure the little kids that’s training in the class today, they can be a better person in the future, and they can help us change this crazy world that we are living in right now.”

Check out the whole article here: https://gephardtdaily.com/local/salt-lake-capoeira-classes-offer-life-lessons-by-way-of-balletic-brazilian-martial-art-combines-music-dance-acrobatics/

SLC’s local KSL news channel did a short feature on Mestre Jamaika’s capoeira school.

Check out the article, including the video segment, here.