Copo de veneno: reflexões sobre corpos de capoeira na práxis educacional de Frederico José de Abreu

Abstract

Frederico José de Abreu (1946-2013), considered by the community as an autodidact historian, writer, was an organiser of several actions which contributed for capoeira and its agent bodies, among them the constitution of one of the greatest collections on capoeira in the world. The historic research and also history of the present time research had as its central question the reflection over his author’s labor and over Abreu’s proposal/action presenting elements of a libertarian and humanitarian praxis. It also reflected on the elements of his personal and professional journey. We aimed to register, systematize and comprehend his work/action as a sociocultural and educational memory of capoeira. The methodology intended for document, oral and image search about Abreu and his relationship with capoeira. We investigated documents, notes of talks and the researcher’s experience, testimonials and interviews in a dialogue with popular masters of capoeira, education intellectuals and capoeira researchers and artists, as well. We worked with primary and secondary sources and part of his huge production. This ‘universe’ we researched opened the possibility to emphasize a diversity integrated to (self)transforming potentialities of capoeira context and the way Abreu deals with it. We identified in Frederico Abreu’s job aspects concerned to humanism and contradictions which may infer from capoeira, suggesting capoeira as a sociocultural and educational path, pointing to a way of being in the world in an emancipatory way. We conclude that the work/action of Frede Abreu has consistent elements of an educational and sociocultural praxis with humanist characteristics that may indicate libertarian education. We also add our job to the research field against hegemony in order to build other historic social political possibilities in the education field and afro sourced Brazilian popular culture