Mestre Cobra Mansa (born Cinézio Feliciano Peçanha, 1960 in

Duque de Caxias Duque is a Spanish surname meaning "duke". People Notable people with the name include: * Jaime Enrique Duque Correa (1943–2013), Colombian Roman Catholic bishop * Andrés Duque (21st century), American activist * Carlos Duque (1930–2014), Pa ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

) commonly known as ''Cobrinha'' and ''Cobrinha Mansa'', is a ''mestre'' or master of

Capoeira Angola Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th centu ...

. He is one of the founders and the guiding light of an organization known as

FICA The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA ) is a United States federal payroll (or employment) contribution directed towards both employees and employers to fund Social Security and Medicare—federal programs that provide benefits for ret ...

(in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, an acronym for Fundaçao Internacional de Capoeira de Angola) or ICAF (in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, this stands for the International Capoeira Angola Foundation, which is the literal translation of the words which make up the acronym FICA). FICA/ICAF is the largest standing Capoeira Organization in the world, its influence spanning several continents, having schools and centers that collaborate with US NGO's and other affiliates from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. These partnering organizations are located in several countries around the world with locations in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Grupo Capoeira Angola Pelorinho (GCAP)

In 1981, Mansa started with the Grupo Capoeira Angola Pelorinho (GCAP), aimed towards children and orphans with rough backgrounds in

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

, Bahia. At some point during the later years of GCAP, Cobrinha and Moraes had a difference over the direction of the school where they were both authority figures. The result was the departure of Mestre Cobrinha and several other members of

GCAP GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed in May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. O ...

as well as the formation of FICA.

History

Mestre Cobra Mansa is well known for his work in the world of

Capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...

. He began his practice of Capoeira in 1973 with Josias da Silva and Raimundo in the

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

neighborhood of

. He played Capoeira in the Duque Caxias street rodas and was one of the founders of the Caxias Street Roda with Rogerio Russo and Peixinho de Caxias. (A roda literally means circle, and is the formation of persons that surround a game of the martial dance of Capoeira.) In 1974 Cobra Mansa became a student of

Mestre Moraes Pedro Moraes Trindade, commonly known as Mestre Moraes, (born February 9, 1950, in Ilha de Maré in Salvador, Brazil) is a master of capoeira. He lives in Salvador, Bahia, teaching at a public school and overseeing GCAP, which serves as a cultu ...

after he saw Moraes play in the Roda of Central Brazil. Prior to dedicating his life to Capoeira Angola, he worked in

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

, as a

street vendor A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether stationa ...

in a circus (Circo Picolino) and even served as a police officer for 2 years in the state of Belo Horizonte. On invitation from the Aussar Auset Society, Cobrinha moved to the

and opened a school in

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around 1994, which was solely dedicated to the teaching of Capoeira Angola. He later became an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

, and then eventually president of the newly formed FICA. In 2004 he left the United States to make his home in Bahia, Salvador, Brazil to create the Kilombo Tenondé. This organization is currently split over two sites, one in

Valença, Bahia Valença is a Brazilian city in the state of Bahia and has an estimated population of 97,233. It is visited by tourists because it is the main access to the island of Ilha de Tinharé, famous for the town of Morro de São Paulo. The municipalit ...

. Quilombo Tenondé provides space for Capoeira and permacultura (permaculture - organic farming). The other site is a cultural center at Coutos in the suburb of Salvador.

His Style

Cobra Mansa's nicknames (Cobra Mansa meaning "tame snake" and Cobrinha translating to "little cobra" in Portuguese) are apt descriptions derived from Cobra Mansa's graceful and

deceptive Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...

style of play. His ability to transform situations through the use of innovative and

acrobatic Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance (ability), balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sports, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most ...

solutions has made him arguably the most influential Angoleiro (practitioner of Capoeira Angola) of his generation. Never one to avoid the complexity of

Capoeira Regional Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century, ...

, he has traveled in many non-Angolan circles and done a great deal to help mend old disagreements between the two. His Capoeira continues to be respected and admired through both the Capoeira Angola and Capoeira Regional communities. He remains an inspiration to many younger Capoeiristas. Mestre Cobrinha is well known as a mestre of Capoeira Angola. He is well respected for his deep knowledge and scholarship of the historical and cultural underpinnings of Capoeira Angola, as well as for his dynamic and aggressive style of play in the roda. He recently completed a journey to the west-central region of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

to search for the African roots of Capoeira. He spent time in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

learning about the "N'golo (Zebra dance)" and other local African cultural traditions that have been attributed in the past as contributing to the development of Capoeira. He also conducted a workshop in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

where he shared his knowledge and experiences.

Lineage

* The "lineage" of Capoeira Angola mestres under Mestre Pastinha

References

External links

Official homepage {{DEFAULTSORT:Mansa, Cobra 1960 births Living people Brazilian police officers Capoeira mestres Brazilian capoeira practitioners People from Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro