{"id":2780,"date":"2025-05-09T10:33:41","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T13:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.djamilaribeiro.com.br\/?p=2780"},"modified":"2025-05-09T10:34:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T13:34:59","slug":"master-sombra-has-earned-his-place-among-the-legends-of-brazilian-capoeira","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.djamilaribeiro.com.br\/en\/master-sombra-has-earned-his-place-among-the-legends-of-brazilian-capoeira\/","title":{"rendered":"Master Sombra has earned his place among the legends of Brazilian capoeira"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seeing him again was like stepping back in time, reminding me of when he would sit in our kitchen, chatting with my father and mother<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Master Sombra has earned his place among the legends of Brazilian capoeira. Seeing him again felt like stepping back in time, reminding me of when he would sit in our kitchen, talking with my father and mother.<\/p>\n

This past week, I was in Santos \u2014 the city I call home \u2014 for a series of recordings for a documentary about my life, a project that has been underway since February of last year. This key moment in the production allowed me to return to my roots, reconnect with beloved people, and revisit places that are part of my memory.<\/p>\n

One of these encounters I\u2019ll share with you here. As I begin writing this column, I\u2019m filled with gratitude for having been welcomed by Master Sombra, who is celebrating 50 years of leadership at the Senzala Capoeira Association of Santos.
The association is a space that honors Afro-Brazilian ancestry, the culture of Santos, and education through capoeira circles held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on Braz Cubas Street, in the city center. That\u2019s where I saw him \u2014 lively and well at 84 years old \u2014 playing the berimbau, singing the ancestral songs of our people, and playing capoeira.<\/p>\n

Seeing him again brought back memories of him in our kitchen, talking with my parents about life on the docks. Both Master Sombra and my father, Joaquim, were proud Black workers who, like my mother Erani, took part in community efforts for the Black population of the Baixada Santista region.<\/p>\n

On the docks, Master Sombra worked with my father \u201ccarrying sacks of sugar on their backs\u201d and helped mobilize Quincas \u2014 who was also named Joaquim \u2014 and others in the dockworkers\u2019 union. My father was eight years younger but had started in dock work earlier. Sombra was like an older brother, captivated by Joaquimzinho\u2019s political knowledge.<\/p>\n

At the association, he taught capoeira to thousands of people, including my two brothers, D\u00eanis and H\u00e9lder. Over the years, he solidified his name among Brazil\u2019s legendary capoeira masters, gaining recognition both nationally and internationally. He continues to travel, sharing this art that is sometimes a fight, sometimes a dance.<\/p>\n

Even in my childhood \u2014 nearly 40 years ago \u2014 the association was a gathering place for the Black movement in Santos. My mother rehearsed Afro-Ballet there with her companions, and years later, the space hosted meetings of the Black Women\u2019s Collective, which later gave rise to the Black Women\u2019s Cultural Center of Santos.<\/p>\n

As I stood on the floor of so many rodas and looked at the writings on the sacred walls of Senzala, a movie played in my mind. Master Sombra awaited me when I arrived, and I embraced him with all the emotion that overflowed. It had been more than a decade since we last saw each other, and I was thrilled to find him strong as a bull, with a sweet smile and the same passion for capoeira. Moved by the moment, we both got emotional.<\/p>\n

And I know another movie was playing in his mind. In me, Master Sombra saw his old friends Joaquim and Erani. I\u2019ll write about that night in my next book, reflecting on the meaning of the tears that ran down our faces. The scenes went back to the early 2000s, when my father Joaquim\u2019s health quickly declined after being diagnosed with an aggressive tumor. Sombra, his dear friend, chose not to visit him at the hospital \u2014 he didn\u2019t want to see him in that condition.<\/p>\n

Moved by memories of those painful months, the Master expressed regret for not visiting \u2014 and I reassured him. I was there every day and knew my father didn\u2019t want him to come. My father didn\u2019t even let me tell people he was ill, and having someone as close as Sombra see him like that was something he didn\u2019t want. Somehow, even without social media, I believe they understood each other silently and said goodbye in their own way.<\/p>\n

This week, we found a sense of redemption together. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Senzala Association, his students, in partnership with the Santos City Hall and Department of Culture, are organizing a series of events from July 27 to August 3. These include capoeira rodas, collective reflections, and tributes to Master Sombra\u2019s extraordinary legacy. Masters from across Brazil will come to honor this important moment.<\/p>\n

It stands as the most significant cultural event of the year in Santos: honoring, in life, an elder who etched his name into the history of Black Brazil. I\u2019ll do everything I can to attend and, in the meantime, send my warmest congratulations and wishes for a beautiful week of culture and joy.
Long live Master Sombra!<\/p>\n

Originally published in Folha de S.Paulo<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seeing him again was like stepping back in time, reminding me of when he would sit in our kitchen, chatting with my father and mother. Master Sombra has earned his place among the legends of Brazilian capoeira. Seeing him again felt like stepping back in time, reminding me of when he would sit in our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[671,466,473,666,670,662,672,669,664,667,290,663,665,668],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaster Sombra has earned his place among the legends of Brazilian capoeira - Djamila Ribeiro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A heartfelt reflection on memory and encounters during the celebration of Master Sombra\u2019s legacy in Santos.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.djamilaribeiro.com.br\/en\/master-sombra-has-earned-his-place-among-the-legends-of-brazilian-capoeira\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Master Sombra has earned his place among the legends of Brazilian capoeira - 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