Mastering Ritual Deception: An Introduction to the Anthropology of Afro-Brazilian Capoeira

This presentation is about the learning process of Afro-Brazilian capoeira from an anthropological perspective. Despite being a global phenomenon practiced in more than one hundred countries, the transmission of knowledge in capoeira depends on the teacher-student relationship. In this sense, teachings privilege deception, not only as a body technique but also as a spiritual and mystic discovery. The presentation describes how practitioners learn the fundamentals of deception in a capoeira style called Angola, which, according to its leaders, stands as the most traditional and the closest to its African origins. It also argues that lessons go beyond the classroom, and capoeira leaders, called mestres, strive to educate students in the cosmological principles of the Angola style, which include the presence of different entities like the dead mestres, and African ancestors. Finally, the article argues that learning deception in capoeira, in essence, is about embodying a way of life in a holistic manner.