Choque: The Untold Story of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil 1856-1949 (Volume 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

existence was contrary to Brazilian civilization, and capoeira began to be adopted exclusively by the lowest classes of society, by criminals and cold-blooded vagabunds, until it reached the disreputable and degraded condition that it has now reached”. 33
    Capoeiragem from 1887 and 1888 was generally referred to in the context of police arrest reports of individuals of a “certain class” who were caught in the act of performing street exhibitions [ exercicios ] of agility [ agilidade ] and dexterity [ destreza ]. “ Armas prohibidas ” [prohibited weapons] were invariably used as props, which intimidated passers-by.
    Three examples may suffice to give the general impression of capoeiragem in the days before the official abolition of slavery, May 13, 1888.
    “Yesterday at 11:30 in the morning, a slave named Trajano, belonging to Justino da Silveira Machado, was arrested on rua da União. He had been performing a capoeiragem show [ exercicio ] with some other individuals who eluded authorities. Trajan injured João Baptista dos Santos by throwing a rock at his head”. 34
    “Felicio Joaquin Martins, known by the nickname Moleque Felippe, was arrested  for performing capoeiragem at Largo de S. Francisco. He was injured when he was stabbed by another capoeira, Dominguinhos da Sé, who ran away”. 35
    “Sebastião Jose da Silva was arrested yesterday for performing a capoeiragem demonstration, armed with a razor blade”. 36
    Similar examples could be added almost ad infinitum. Capoeiragem was regarded as a threat to public safety, an impediment to commerce, and in its milde r manifestations, a general nuisance. It was not seen as a sport, a system of self-defense, or a form of “physical culture”.
    Nevertheless, some critics couldn’t help but observe that some of the capoeiras demonstrated admirable physical attributes. To put it in perspective, capoeiragem in nineteenth century Brazil was something like the break-dancing that one can see on the streets of some large American cities today. The difference is that break-dancers don’t perform while brandishing straight razors.
    The slaves were freed in 1888. 37 But capoeiragem remained a crime. In 1890, the Codigo Penal dos Estados Unidos do Brasil, Decreto n. 847 of October 11, 1890 was enacted. The section addressing Crime and Punishment [ Dos Crimes e das Penas ] was published for everyone to see. 38
    It consisted of four major sections [ livros ]. Section III addressed Das contravenções em Especie [types of misdemeanor], of which there were 13 “ capitulos “ [chapters, or sub-sections, each with several articles [ artigos ] related to specific offenses]. Chapter 13 concerned vadias e capoeiras [vagrants and capoeiras]. 39
    Three articles specifically concerned capoeiras, 40 the first article 403, being most relevant (article 404 concerned repeat offenders and foreigners, article 405 concerned aggravating conditions). Article 403 of the 1890 penal code specified imprisonment for two to six months, or longer under certain circumstances. 41
    As many young men continued to perform capoeiragem in public, prisons needed to be built to accommodate them. One example of that occurred in 1898 when the Superior Tribunal do Justiça .of Pernambuco passed a law ( Lei n. 370) authorizing the governor of the state to create a penal colony on the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, or some other place, for people convicted of the crimes of mendigação [begging], embriaguez [drunkenness], vagabundagem [vagrancy], or capoeiragem. 42
    Even with laws prohibiting it, and prison time for practicing it, capoeiragem continued. Young, uneducated, unskilled, and unwanted black men did n’t have many job options. Capoeiragem might have been seen as a somewhat less profitable but also less dangerous occupation than robbing and kidnapping. Given the social identities of the capoeiras, it isn’t surprising that capoeiragem continued to have a negative connotation.
    Twenty-two years