“My first fight was against a ‘Capoeira’ fighter, one of the strongest guys in Rio”.* André Lacé learned how to fight Capoeira with the deeply missed Master Neyder (Neyder de Oliveira Alves de Souza), a great and fearless good-humored Capoeira and my personal friend. It would be too unfair not to place him within the History of Capoeiragem from Rio de Janeiro; thence, I felt so glad when I saw him mentioned and portrayed in
“Capoeira’s Turn Around of the World”.

I got this book as a gift from the author, André Lacé. It came with an invitation to write a few lines to his new work where he dives, even deeper, into the Capoeira’s world in Rio de Janeiro from some decades ago. This new book focuses on characters like Zuma Burlamaqui, Inezil Penna Marinho, Sinhozinho and Rudolf Hermanny. Some other important Capoeira fighters are also mentioned, such as Luiz Aguiar (Cirandinha) – against whom I have already fought in the past – and Artur Emídio de Oliveira – who fought against my brother Robson Gracie.

My brother and I came out of these combats as winners. This is the reason why I did not understand, at first, André’s invitation.“- Capoeira has been growing a lot and taking over the world; however, on the other hand, it is losing quality in its practice as martial art. Nowadays, there are too much pyrotechnics into Capoeira” – argued André Lacé. And he carried on: “there is a modern stylized Capoeira being sold as a tough fighting style, but, in practice, the serious combats are put aside giving place to pseudo-folkloric presentations on stages together with the dances of maculelê and puxada de rede.”

I have been traveling around the world with jiu-jitsu; therefore I can witness the growing success of Capoeira abroad. Even in Japan...Thence, I agree with André’s initial statements. I also agree with his analysis of today’s Capoeira as a fighting style since I understand that Capoeira nowadays is, above all, a beautiful stage performance. Moreover, the incorporation of the berimbau and other musical instruments – uncommon to the Capoeira in the Ancient Rio – has resulted in a unique show acclaimed worldwide.

In order to recover its fighting capabilities, as Zuma Burlamaqui used to state in the beginning of last century, it would be necessary to restart the coaching and combats without the berimbau. However, the berimbau has already been so strongly incorporated into modern Capoeira that I do not think it will be an easy task. Besides, martial arts competitions, especially those that came after the “ultimate fighting Championship”, have evolved and carry on evolving a lot.

From this point on, after all initial remarks, I will focus on comments about Capoeira versus jiu-jitsu contests that I have either participated or witnessed. Three combats must be highlighted: my fight against Luiz Aguiar (Cirandinha); Rudolf Hermanny against Guanair (Vial); and Robson Gracie against Artur Emídio.

My fight against Cirandinha was the main attraction at an event in 1949 whose goal was to gather money on the behalf of poor people from the Northeast region of Brazil.

Cirandinha was an extremely strong athlete – perhaps it was the reason why he didn’t train Capoeira as hard as Rudolf Hermanny, for instance, used to. It must be said that hard work and healthy eating habits are vital to make up a champion. Cirandinha had talent as well but, as it is well known in any sport, physical resistance is essential. If a Capoeira fighter doesn’t defeat his enemy in the very first few minutes or even seconds, it will be hard for him to win thereafter, since fatigue is a natural consequence of so many jumps and swings.

That was what happened. In addition, it is worth mentioning that jiu-jitsu’s strategy is the opposite of Capoeira’s: the more the jiu-jitsu fighter saves energy, more chances he will have to succeed.

As the newspapers by that time accurately stated, the fight between Rudolf X Guanair was amazing. Although he didn’t know much about approximation fights (he had just started Judo at Cordeiro fitness center), Hermanny had courage and great physical condition to basically use his Capoeira (Sinhozinho style) and managed to make the fight
last for over an hour.The fight ended up in a tie,because it had to be interrupted for reasons beyond their control (it was electrical rationalization time and there was still the final combat).

As far as my brother (Robson Gracie)’s fight is concerned, it would be better if he could comment it himself. Yet, since I watched it and talked to him a lot about that combat, I dare to say some words about it. Artur was from Itabuna (Bahia) and a distinguished Capoeira fighter (his Capoeira was influenced by the swings following the berimbau rhythm). He surprised the audience at first. However, as I have stated before, jiu-jitsu prevailed along the fight.

In spite of that, the Capoeira fighters attempt must be highlighted with merit. In other words, there is just one means of improving Capoeira as a real fighting style ... it is actually fighting. I am very pleased to – and I rush to – say that my school is open to each and every Capoeira fighter who wants to try its skills or – why not!? – to develop some kind of work together with jiu-jitsu.

To finish, I want to be fair and make it very clear that we agree with André when he states that “Capoeira is much more than a fight”; that is, the path to a ring confront is open but it would not surprise us if some Capoeira fighters decide to follow their own roads. By the way, this is the case of the traditional Angola Capoeira.

CARLSON GRACIE SCHOOL
414 Figueiredo Magalhães street, 302 Copacabana
Rio de Janeiro, February 15th 2002.

Tatame Magazine, nº 72, Feb. 2002.

Carlson Gracie does not need introductions at all; he is a legend within the greater legend that is the Gracie Family. He was born in the District of Catete, Rio de Janeiro City, in August; therefore he is Leo on the zodiacal horoscope. His parents are Carlos and Carmen Gracie and he was the first nephew of his father’s four brothers – Gastão,Oswaldo, George and Hélio -, all jiu-jitsu instructors. When he was 4 years old, guided by his father and instructor, he performed for the first time. It took place at the Estádio Brasil (Brazil Stadium), “a boxing fightig cathedral in Rio de Janeiro, near the “Santa Casa de Misericórdia”, according to the records of my dear friend, Professor Paulo Roberto Godinho. At 16, Carlson Gracie was the carioca’s jiu-jitsu champion. However, years later, it would, in the Wrestling (Vale Tudo) field that he consolidated his champion fame defeating extraordinary fighters as Passarito, Waldemar Santana, Ivan Gomes, Euclides Pereira, Leão de Portugal and Luiz Aguiar Karadagian, among others. Nowadays, besides his centers in Rio de Janeiro, Carlson Gracie gives lectures allover the world.

I received a new visit from André Lacé, on that occasion, not only for getting some information but also for inviting me to write one of the presentations of his new book on Capoeira from Rio de Janeiro of some decades ago.

On the one hand, an easy task, since I had na intense social life at that time, having the privilege to know Sinhozinho, already famous then, and to receive some of his teachings. I also followed a great deal of Rudolf Hermanny’s professional social sporting carreer, having also the opportunity to witness three of his most famous Capoeira fights:1 . versus Guanair Gial Gomes ( from Gracie School). 2. versus Fernando Rodrigues Perez, from Bahia ( Master Bimba, Regional “style”); and 3. versus Master Arthur Emídio de Oliveira, also from Itabuna ( Bahia ) but already living in Rio de Janeiro for some time, then.

It is also appropriate to remember the period in which professor Hermanny and I worked together for the Brazilian soccer team.On the other hand, it is a hard and complex task, since, although I am neither a Capoeira fighter nor an expert on this matter, I know that there are several ways of practicing Capoeira, all effective.Nevertheless, two of them stand out: capoeira-fight and folk capoeira.However, having taken on this duty, I will just give an account of the singular figures of Agenor Moreira Sampaio (Sinhozinho) and of a fellow-worker and intimate friend, Rudolf de Otero Hermanny.

In addition to being an excellent sportsman, Sinhozinho was an expert in forming athletes, or rather, our expert in making up champions in any sport, including the art of Capoeira, as he proved to be several times. Sinhozinho made up champions in weight lifting, jump, rowing, boxing, soccer and many other sports.He could make the most of it.

He created apparatus and specific exercises for each modality and, sometimes, for a specific athlete.Rudolf Hermanny was tough, greatly praised by Sinhozinho. In a short time, he became his best pupil at that time (decades before, according to Sinhozinho himself, there was also a talented generation, whose best pupil was André Jansen. In the fight against Guanair Gomes, in which I was the “ conciliator”, Rudolf Hermanny stood out by his outstanding courage and resistance. It was a very tough fight which lasted a little more than one hour. The fight ended up in a tie, but, for him, Hermanny and a great deal of the spectators, it seemed as if he had won.

In the fight against Perez, from Bahia, Hermanny also showed overwhelming superiority and also, a great deal of nobleness, as André states within his book. The fight against Perez, from Bahia, was calmer. A truly capoeristic fight. Artur Emídio showed a “very fast” capoeira learnt with great talent, following the rythm of the berimbau; Rudolf showed the so-called Sinhozinho’s “Ultilitarian Capoeira”, learnt without the berimbau and with a functional swing. Although Arthur had performed some jumps and a low game , full of cunning, Rudolf’s objectivity prevailed and the fight ended up soon after its beggining in the second round.

I am sure that André Luiz Lacé’s new book will fulfill the gap in the History of the Capoeiragem from Rio.

_______________________________________________
· The fight will be fierce: Paulo Amaral will participate
· With his friend Rudolf Hermanny, judo instructor, Paulo Amaral remembers the time when they learned capoeira with Sinhozinho accompanied by Tom Jobim who droped out of his fight classes for piano classes.
__________________________________________________
* Paulo Amaral according to Ruy Castro- “She is Carioca- an encyclopedia of Ipanema (Ela é Carioca – uma enciclopédia de Ipanema )- p. 283. Companhia das letras. n. 1923, sportsman, soccer coach and physical trainer. Paulo, resident in Ipanema from 1935 to 1960, a pupil of Sinhozinho’s, with whom he practiced boxing, weight lifting, bars and parallel bars. He was a super athlete, able to climb ropes six meters long with a weight fifteen kilos heavy tied to the waist.

This alone would be enough to define him, yet, he devoted energy to work as an instructor for the police squad, to separate people fighting in balls at Clube Marimbás and to play beachsoccer for teams from Ipanema, such as Atlântico, Juventude e Tatuís. In 1959, Paulo also became a soccer coach, working for Botafogo and other Brazilian teams at first, and, afterwards, in Europe and in the Middle East. He won championships, and when he retired in 1983, the sands of Marimbás became his ultimate office, where his friends cannot understand how that indestructible muscular body can hold his heart, even greater.

Tribute and Alert

At the entrance of the National Library of Argentina, founded in 1810, it can be read “Library, Lyfe University”. I do not know how this reading center is, presently, at such a moment of so many neoliberal misfortunes, but Jorge Luiz Borges’ reflection, above mentioned, is singular.

The emblematic phrase explains very well the great importance given to public or private libraries by the more attentive governments, specially in the so-called developed countries.During my trips, long decades ago, I confirmed this fact; from the libraries of Syracuse University, in New York, where I studied, to the Library of Congress of the United States of America ( First St. SE. Inaugurated in 1800 and rebuilt in 1812), in Washington D.C., where I worked for the Organization of American States.The latter – Library of Congress - is presently considered as the greatest and the most complete of the world. With all my respects and admiration – of course! – for the library of Alexandria, founded by Ptolemy I – successor of Alexander the Great, in AD306, completely destroyed in the past and which has just been daringly rebuilt.

In the old and fascinating Europe, we have the same portrait, from the Tower of Tombo, including the National Library of Lisboa, where I have made some researches (a great part of the History of Capoeiragem is kept in some bookcases and microfilms in that library) and the new National Library of France (Bibliothéque Nationale de France, Quai François Mauriac 75706 Paris Cédex 13), which I have visited recently, specially the latter, since it was built recently. Aside from some environmental, urban, and architectural flaws, its institutional vigor is impressing as well as its management capacity for service, its variety of services and courses. What about Brazil? How are we? How has Brazilian culture been stored, preserved and made available. As we all know well, an absolutely fascinating culture.

Far more than melancholic, the portait is worring. There even seems to be a plot to destroy the national memory. Notwithstanding, for a matter of justice, I enhance the heroic effort of the great majority of unselfish experts who work in this important field.

However, the fact is that the situation of increasing abandonment, with rare exceptions, is obvious:

1 – Budget more and more reduced, not only for maintenance of the collection but also for its enlargement.

2 – Inexistent, insufficient or obsolete technical-administrative apparatus.

3 – Human resourses likely insufficient, badly paid, without perspective for carrier and without regular training policy.

4 - space badly used or insufficient.

5 – Poor conservation of the collection, books ruined or gone.

Of course, we know well that there are more urgent governamental expenses, but the hungry for Brazilian culture should be also satisfyed, on condition that we may adopt any culture which comes to us by means of TV and movies.

Unfortunatedly, everything seems to go in this direction, so much so that some public libraries, here in Rio, have already been closed, some of them, mysteriously. The great majority is loosing quality, customers, historical collections of inestimable value.

To write the present book, I visited some libraries and archives.Some of them stand out, here, in Rio de Janeiro City, namely, the National library, Amadeu Amaral Library (FUNARTE), Bastos Tigre Library (ABI), the libraries of Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro, those of the Brazilian Historycal and Geographical Institute, and those of the valuable and almost forgotten collection of SUDERJ (at Maracanã Stadium).

The emblematic book of the misterious “ODC – Guide to Capoeira or Brazilian Gymnastics, 1907”, properly coded with the number V-267-1-4-N-16, has simply vanished from the National Library; the most important Brazilian library which greatly deserved stronger support from the federal government. It is urgent to expand its services, its sections for service, including a section in which researchers can also work with their own material (note book, for instance). Although it is far from the standards of the developed countries, for obvious reasons, the National Library is far above other libraries I visited. I consider District Archive’s service heroic, and even more heroic Amadeu Amaral Library’s service, where part of the employees work without any stimulating perspectives
for their carreers and under risk of dismission, in many cases, arbitrary and summary.

Reprografia service, for instance, essential for any library (the rights established on 19th february 1998 safeguarded – Author’s Copyright Law ), is not available at Amadeu Amaral Library.Despite all those obstacles, for a matter of justice, I must say that it is touching how devoted such professionals are in taking care of their respective reading centers.

There are valuable private collections in the field of capoeiragem. That of mine is not one of the largest, but, even so, I would like to see it stored somewhere everyone could have access. Where would this place be?Due to world’s increasing interest in Capoeira, , the answer came to me all of a sudden. An American university has just proposed to me to micro-film my entire collection, offering an extra copy of the result to the National Library or any other
interested. Considering that Capoeira, by its fascination, already belongs to the patrimony of the popular culture of the world, why not to accept?

Before what has been exposed, I open the book, thanking and paying tribute to the professionals who filled the libraries where I have researched. And, at the same time, and with the same intensity, I put out not as much an alert but an appeal for the governments to better preserve the Brazilian memory. Or would rather delete it all?

Prologue

Inspired by the great Master Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Preliminary consideration

In the internet one can easily find a suprising number of writer-researcher-ghosts.It is also possible to find the advertisement of a quite singular kind of “ghost-writer” on the adds pages of some newspapers and on bulletin boards in some universities all over the world.Some of them only offer to write and type any academic paper, but most of them offer full service, that is, to define the theme, research, structure and do the whole work, including a vast and enviable bibliography at the end. Whatever may the level be, from a straightforward monthly paper to theses or doctoral essays, the price is modic and the result is guaranteed.Those people found out the secret of massive compiling of “top level academic researches”.It is part of this work, obviously, to sprinkle some pages with
impressing citations and put a long list of works ( not ) consulted at the end of the paper.All the citations, of course, carefully included, accordingly to the highest standards recomended by “biblioteconomy”.Some of these gentlemen go as far as to allow the undergraduate-customer to pay for the service only in case of absolute success, that is, the approval of the teacher, of the tutor of the thesis, or of the examining board. ( your total
satisfaction or your money back ! ).

As I have already anticipated in the Introduction, I have been receiving a great deal of criticism concerning the lack of aphoristic and bibliographical citations, among others, in my former book.A criticism from a young Carioca , Master in the Game from Angola as well as a typical physical education professor, has impressed me mostly ( I know that it is almost a contradiction – an “ authentic practioner of the game from Angola” and , at the same time, “ a typical physical education professor” – but there are a few, I can’t deny it, excellent ).He emphatically pointed out “only two shortcomings” in my book: lack of celebrated citations ( ? ) and lack of a list of works, not less impressing, used as reference.

The fascination for this sort of academic farse is interesting. Those who unwillingly look for some relation between the exhausting bibliography cited and the content of most of these research works will see that, in fact, it does not exist.Even if they investigate deeply, they will realize that the author has never read those works which he cites, at most, he thumbed through them, inattentively, misunderstanding or not each of them, deliberatedly or not.The criticism from the young capoeira from Muda da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, reminded me of such adds and bulletin boards, mentioned above. It reminded me, before all else, of the brilliant prologue with which the great Master Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra opened his similarly brilliant “ Dom Quixote de La Mancha”.Thence I drew the
inspiration and strenght for writing, at last, a prologue á la Cervantes for this present book, satisfying those who claimed for citations.

· THE BEST GHOST-WRITE : thesis, monograph, essay, review, research and works.Any subject.

Quixotic prologue

My intention, when writing the book “The Turn Around of the World...”, was to present a summary of my forty years or so of Capoeira, straightfowardly, avoiding pompous citations, which are so pompous as suspicious.

Hence the difficulty in writing a prologue, even greater than the effort to write the book itself. How couldn`t I worry about the demands which my readers would certainly make? What would those readers say when, after so many decades, bearing the burden of all those years on the back, and having hundreds of articles and a couple of books published, if I put out a dry story, lacking in inventiveness, wanting in style, poor in concepts, short of erudition, of principles and whithout capoeiristic foundation; a book with no marginal annotations nor foot notes, differently from what I observe in other books, always sprinkled with copious bybliography and quite complex citations.

I could resist all the doubts and reflections and publish a book with almost no citation. Except for a few citations from Master Caiçara, of fond memory, something from Master Pastinha and nothing else. Criticisms came out, but the result was highly positive, hence this new book.

But now, I am far more concerned about doctors and maganzines specialized in Capoeira. Taking all in all, didn’t I have enough of the distressing experience of the former books, in which I pretentiously ignored the patterns for writing a serious scientific work?

How not to write, this time, a book on Capoeira citing what everyone else has already cited, having read or not, having understood or not, having distorted or not each work “consulted”? If the academic and capoeiristic world demands this kind of behaviour, how not to understand it?

Would It be that difficult to borrow the last pages – bibliography – of one of those current books?

Hence my tremendous difficulty in overcoming such a stalemate – It is difficult for me. I am convinced of the necessity of standing out and of being acclaimed by the academic and capoeoristic world, but I must confess that I do not know how to do it. For, if I let my style flow, my book will lack all of it, since I neither have much to annotate on the margins of the pages, nor to annotate at the end of the book. Even less I know the authors whom I resorted to so as to make a list of them, as other authors do, arranged in alphabetical order, beginning with Master Aristóteles and ending with Xenofonte, Zoilo and Zêuxis; including Luiz Edmundo, “ODC”. (?), Zuma Burlamaqui, Inezil Penna Marinho, Raul Pederneiras, Edison Carneiro, Nina Rodrigues, Câmara Cascudo, Calixto, Paulo Gomes, Esdras Damião, Luiz Sérgio Dias and many others!

If I so wish, my new book will also lack celebrated citations ascribed to, rather inexactly, some great master of recent or remote past – Nascimento Grande, Cyriaco Macaco Velho, Juca Reis, Manduca da Praia, Besouro Cordão de Ouro, Sinhozinho, André Jansen, Samuel Querido de Deus, Neyder Alves, Luiz Ciranda, Canjiquinha, Pastinha,
Bimba, Cobrinha Verde, Traíra, Djalma Bandeira, Eziquiel Martins, Lord Bom Cabrito, Paulo Gomes, Abel Magalhães and, for certain, Zumbi dos Palmares.

I was drowning in a whirl pool of doubts when I heard the noisy Sergipan laughter of my sweet and always friendly wife followed by a long and wise piece of advice:
- “ For God`s sake, I have always found you discreet and prudent , able to act boldly and criatively, however, now I see, you are far from it, like the sky from the earth.

How can it be that such insignificant and easily remediable troubles can be powerful enough to make such a mature and opportune work as that of yours; absurd and absorbed.And, as far as I could realize, you have already found the solution.Now, a litlle literary charm will be enough . Why not? If you doubt my assertion, pay attention to my advice:
- As for citations on the margins of the pages and the authors from whom, supposedly, you drew some information, sayings or whatever, in order to reinforce your own arguments, it will be enough to sprinkle, like a charmer, some sentences here and there, in a flowery speech, what can be gathered from any magazine. For instance, in your
former book - “The Turn Around of the World of Capoeira” - when you relate capoeira to the dream of freedom and the abolition of slavery in Colonial Brazil, or even when you draw the attention to the “purchase” of “cordéis de mestre”, you could have inserted the wise and celebrated statement from Master Aesop: Non bene per toto libertas venditur auro ( Freedom is not sold for any kind of gold )

- “Still based on your former book, when you reflect on the fascinating dialetics of capoeiragem, you remember, in addition to describing it, that the chant of a Capoeira Circle ( Roda) may and should have the function of redirecting, whenever necessary, the direction and dinamics of the game, thus, reinforcing the importance of fraternity. It would have been the appropriate moment for one more good citation. Byblical, by the way: Ego autem dico vobis: diligite inimicos vostros ( But I say onto you: love your enemies )

- Next, You would transcribe an appropriate “chula” about this motto: “Conrade, what is mine is yours, brother, but my blood brother, conrade; is your brother.”- Even the phrase of our dear and deeply missed Master Caiçara - “Each one in his each one” - so praised and repeated in your former book; might have been supported, what
would have delighted the “ PhD’s” on duty, evoking a classic aforism of the Roman Law: Cuique suum latim (to each one what is due )

“But let`s talk about the here and now. In this new book, the task is easier. For, It is obvious in your book concern in showing and demonstrating the weakness of most researches on capoeiragem which have been published, in which a great deal of the recordings is based on the very suspicious testymony of only one person or of a small and passionate group of observers. Consult any set of stock phrases about this motto and you`ll see that three of them stand out:

Adage of jurisprudence which, as you well know, states that the testimony of an only witness cannot be considered sufficient. And finally, Cui prodest ?( who benefits? )

Question which is usually formulated to suggest that the likely author of a crime (or of an untruthful book) is the one who benefits from it.
- And, what about the citations of those authors, so frequent in other books and so rare in yours?

The solution is quite easy, for all that you should do is to gather a few books, take out the pages with citations, plaster one list onto the other, from A to Z – yes, why not ? - and attach the final result to your master piece. It will work, that`s what the majority of writers do. Just thumb through Capoeira books. Take any book from your bookcase (picking one out ), this one here, for instance: “ bibliographic notes: Rugendas, Debret, Shaffer, Johnston, Kubrik, Herskovits, Wetheral...”. Even though modest, this list is undoubtedly impressing.It lends the book gravity, as it were a not biased profound serious research. Take, thus, three or four of those lists and finish your work with them. There will be no problem at all. Nobody will check it out. Everyone will be impressed: “How wise, for God`s sake!

Even though the lure is obvious, it does not have the least importance, given that you do not need to resort to such reinforcements. But, sorry for the insistense, this vast catalogue of authors must confer some authority upon the book.Some like it.Besides that, no one will be willing to verify the authenticity of such references.Moreover, as Lilia da Rocha Bastos brilliantly stated in the Presentation of your former book ( “Capoeira’s Turn Around of the World” ), your present book doesn’t need any of these devices.As your work has no other aim but undo the authority and veracity of most of the pseudointellectual books, which spread as news, believed by the world and the common people; the strategy will be perfect and oportune.

It will be enough, thus, that you search for, with simplicity, expressive, honest and well placed words, sonorous and persuasive clauses and periods, revealing your good will, explaning your concepts, without complicating or obscuring them.

Also aim to make the melancholic set about laughing and the smiling set about guffawing, by reading your book , so that the simple be not bored; may the discreet of your winsdom be admired, may the circunspect despise it not, nor the prudent refrain from worshiping it.In fact, aim always to bringing down the poorly based contrivance of
Capoeira books, boring for some more attentive and demanding readers, but praised by many unaware.If you succeed, it will have been worth while.

Of course, some irreverent criticism will come out demanding something more modern , after all, there is no time like the present.Indeed, the book will come out full of the past, full of wise ancient citations.So as to compensate this, appeal to quantic physics – Is there anything more modern and fashionable ?

In this case, there is no better sugestion but to repeat Master Heisemberg’s capoeiristic concept: “ The process of observing a phenomenon alters this phenomenon”.Unquestionable, right ?

Moreover, if capoeira follows any law, it is for certain the law of indetermination.Finish the book with two absolutely brilliant citations which can be interpreted, each one taken alone or as a whole, through two completely antagonistic ways:

Habent sua fata libelli
( Books have their own destiny )

and Timeo hominem unius libri
( Fear the man of one book )

In deep silence, I listened to what my dear wife said, and her points, arguments and examples impressed me so much that, without questioning, I considered them proper, and made use of them when writing this prologue in which the kind reader will notice my dear adviser’s charmed winsdom and pragmatism, and how lucky I was to listen to her at the right time.

Having said that, dear reader, capoeira practioner or not, God bless you, and don’t forget me. OK !

Or rather, more capoeiristically, IÊ!