• Laranjeiras Street, n 26
     Learned with african Benedito 
    Salvador

    Information

    Manuscripts of M Pastinha (1960):
    «And my good mestre, I learned on Laranjeira street [..]»

    J. B. Colmenero (M Pastinha's student) on 5th December 1964:
    «Tells us [M Pastinha] with words filled with the purest gratitude about Mestre Benedito, a black man from Angola with whom he initiated the practise of Capoeira and, in this time, the boy named Vicente Pastinha was 10 years old.»

    M Pastinha in 1964 in the interview to Helinä Rautavaara:
    Helinä Rautavaara (HR): And where did you learn?
    Mestre Pastinha (MP): Here in Bahia.
    HR: What year?
    MP: At 10 years old.
    HR: And with whom did you learn? Who taught you?
    MP: Am african.
    HR: How is he called?
    MP: He was called Benedito.
    HR: Mestre de angola.
    MP: Angola!

    Jornal do Commercio in 5-7-1964:
    It was an old african, who resided close to his house, in the old Laranjeiras street, his first capoeira teacher, this when he was only 10 years old. Always when he had a break from school, or when he rested his paintbrush, he ran to the black mestre to get to know new kicks, new gingas and other rhythms.

    M Pastinha in 1967 in a testimony lended from 'Museum of Image and Sound':
    «When I was some ten years old - I was very skinny - one other more stocky boy than me became my rival. Whenever I went on the street - went to the street to shop, for example - and we started to fight. It ended with me loosing to him, always. So I cried hidden with embarrasment and sadness. One day, from the window of his house, an old african watched our fight. Come here, my son, he told me, seeing me crying with anger after loosing. You can't beat him, you know, because he is bigger and is older. The time you loose flying the kite come here in my shrine and I will teach you an important thing. This was what the old man said and I went.»

    A Tarde (1969):
    [..] Uncle Benedito [..] lived on Laranjeiras Street, n. 26 [2 on the map].

    Now in 1975 (Newspaper Ex-13) M Pastinha changed the story a little:
    «Lets say being 8 years, 9 years old I started to be capoeirista. I learned with a mestre, Benedito, not a bahian, an african. With him I went from here to there (I lived this time on the Laranjeiras Street). Well, so I went to the Marines [6 on the map], in 1902.»

    Video

    M Pastinha in a movie Pastinha! A Life For Capoeira (1998) in a footage made probably before 1977 (death of M Noronha, also present in the footage)

    M Pastinha tells about his childhood at 6 minutes of the movie

    From then on [1899 when defeating Honorato], Pastinha had a happy and modest childhood. In the mornings he would take art classes at the Liceu de Artes e Ofício school [7 on the map] where he learned to paint; afternoons were spent playing with kites and practicing Capoeira. He continued his training with Benedito for three more years.

    Source



    Manuscritps of 1960

    • «And my good mestre, I learned on Laranjeira street [..]»

    Manuscripts of M Pastinha


    Map of locations

    Laranjeiras Street, n 26 ( 2)


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