Salvador, Iemanjá, and Personal Revelations
- Ronja Clementina
- Feb 5, 2020
- 8 min read
Capoeira Roda in Salvador with many famous Mestres.
On Saturday, January 25th, Cabello, Dora, Mohammed, Tyler, and I got in a rented car at 7:40 in the morning for a weekend trip to Salvador. First, we drove north to Mestre CobraMansa’s Kilombo Tenonde, which can be described as a hippie communal capoeira farm. We came, we saw, and we conquered, in capoeira terms: we arrived, greeted almost everyone in sight with a series of sweaty hugs, then had a roda, Cabello Style. After lunch and a dip in the river, we drove on.
Now we were headed for the city of Salvador, which is the heart of capoeira and Afro-Brazilian culture. We left the Kilombo Tenonde around 3:00 and arrived in Salvador around 6:30. I slept almost the entire way. Nobody had told me where we were going, but it turned out we were headed to the last day of Mestre Guaxini’s capoeira event in the Casa amarEla, which is a permaculture farm on a block in the middle of the city. There was a house and a capoeira space, as well as camping spaces and bathrooms. In an effort to be more sustainable, they had dry toilets (poop and throw a handful of wood chips on top), and a urine collection system, for use as fertilizer.
As soon as we got there, we had dinner, which was a traditional dish of mashed manioc root called aipim with vegetables mixed in and beans on the side. After dinner, a small circle of people singing capoeira music and playing instruments formed. Capoeira turned to samba, and a man who is evidently one of the best viola machete players in the world gave a demonstration of his skill. Along with the playing goes improvisatory singing, and what he was saying appeared to be quite witty, as many of his stanzas were followed by chuckles from the people listening. However, the combination of his accent and his missing teeth made him nearly impossible to understand for me.
Around 9:30, conga drums and pandeiros (tambourines) were traded for frame drums and shakers, and a woman took control of the circle, inviting everyone to dance. She explained that we were going to do a traditional Danḉa do Boi, a type of summoning ritual. Boi means cow in portuguese (from the root bovine), and if we did it right, the boi would come and grace us with its presence. A singer began to sing, and everyone sang the phrases back in a call and response style. The drums came in, and the woman led us in a simple dance that revolved around the circle. After a couple songs and about 15 minutes of this, the “boi” appeared. It turned out to be a beaded cow with designs on it and a man under it, making it “dance”. We danced around the cow for quite a while before it went away again. As strange as all of this sounds, it is so easy to get swept away in it when you become a part of it. And quite honestly, I think there is something missing from our lives when we don’t do things like that. I believe seemingly strange and illogical ceremonies like the Danḉa do Boi are quintessentially human.
We spent the night in a nearby hostel that was simple and clean. The next morning, we went back to the Casa amarEla for a music workshop, during which almost no music was played and the person giving the workshop spent almost the entire time telling his life story. I have met several capoeira teachers like that who, once they get an audience, love to talk and talk. I resent this a bit, especially when I have to sit and listen when I am tired or when they talk in such a way that I cannot understand what they’re saying.
Anyway, after we had breakfast, we had a capoeira class with Mestre Ivan. It was a strange class that nonetheless left me sore for the next few days. He had us jumping around on the floor in a low push-up position, jumping up into the air for several minutes, and holding a shallow V-sit while he went around and stepped on our stomachs to see how strong we were. At the end of the class, we had a small roda during which he played several people. His capoeira style is such that it often appeared more like a game of soccer than a capoeira game, in which he was kicking a ball around, and the other person was the ball. It was entertaining to watch, but I definitely did not want to play.
Around this time, many well-renowned capoeira masters were arriving, including Mestre Boca Rica and Mestre Bule Bule. The bateria was traded to include only masters, and one of the most amazing rodas I’ve ever witnessed began. The most amazing part was the improvisatory singing that was passed back and forth from one master to another, ending in a battle of insults between two of them.
Game between Mestre Cabello and Mestre Guaxini.
After lunch was Samba de Roda and then Samba da Chula time. The women put on skirts, a few men played instruments and sang, and everyone else stood in a circle and clapped and sang. The women took turns dancing in the circle, trading off with a bump of the stomach.
Around 4:00, it was time to drive back. We got in the car and drove to the ferry, which would take us across the bay and significantly shorten our driving distance. We were very lucky to catch the ferry at 5:30, and, with a stop for dinner, made it home around midnight.
I spent much of the next week digging up Pau Brasil seedlings from under the tree and bagging them in old milk bags and the like, to be replanted when they are bigger. This use of the milk cartons provides a great way around the wasteful plastic bags commonly used in nurseries: although it still generates some waste, ultimately, the milk cartons already existed and this is a great way to reuse them for a time.
Pau Brasil planting process (slideshow).
Since I am so behind on my blog, I have already had more exciting experiences during the first weekend in February. On February 2nd is the Dia de Iemanjá here in Bahia, which is a day of lots of celebrations. Iemanjá is a Condomblé Orixá, queen of the ocean. Candomblé is an Afro-brazilian religion with roots in African culture and music. I went to Itacaré for the celebrations in the afternoon, which included a parade, a singing and dancing circle with the Condomblé elders, then the preparation of the offerings to Iemanjá (flowers and alcohol). Finally, the offerings were paraded to a boat, loaded onto the boat, and taken out to sea. It was a really neat ceremony to witness.
Parade to the beach.
Dancing and music circle.
View of the ocean, the offerings, and the people.
Carrying the offerings.
Loading the offerings onto the boat.
I stayed at a pousada that one of the members of our capoeira group, Erick, partially owns. The next morning, I walked around Itacaré by myself, which is something I would not have dared when I first arrived here. Walking around, I realized there are two types of courage, and two types of fear. There is the courage that comes from lack of knowledge; of doing things because you simply don’t know any better. There is also the fear of the unknown, which leaves you terrified to do things you haven’t done before. Then there is the fear that comes with knowledge, but this is often a fear that serves the purpose of self-protection. (For example, wearing a seat belt in a car because you know what can happen if you don’t). And then, lastly, there is the courage of knowledge. The ability to do things because you know how the world works, how to act, and how to protect yourself. When I first came to Bahia, I was full of the fear of the unknown. I didn’t want to take the bus by myself, walk back to the farm in the dark, or walk around a larger city by myself. Now, I have gained the courage of knowledge, and I am no longer afraid to do those things. I believe this has been one of the biggest ways I’ve grown personally in the two months I’ve been here.
Beach times in Itacaré (slideshow).
On Monday afternoon, I went to Erick’s farm with him and helped him with his construction project. He is building a type of eco-lodge capable of hosting events like yoga retreats. One of the most amazing things about his farm is the stunning view of a stretch of forest, the city of Itacaré in the distance, and the ocean. There is an incredibly peaceful feeling in the air there, and I often found myself simply gazing at the view for minutes on end.
View from Erick's farm, yoga space in construction, and neat animals seen while working (slideshow).
That evening we were going to go to capoeira class but missed the bus, and so I stayed another night at the pousada. The next morning, I went to the Praia da Concha in Itacaré, and ended up conducting an interesting social experiment quite by accident. I was wearing a loose shirt that mostly hides my chest and cargo shorts. I know that, with my thin, long-limbed figure, many people think I am a guy, and I had decided to play the part by swinging my arms more when walking, dropping my voice when greeting people, and smiling a bit less. In the time I was walking through the town and on the beach, very few street vendors approached me. However, I decided to rent a paddle board for an hour, and afterwards walked down the beach in my 2-piece swimsuit. In the 5 minutes I was dressed in an obviously feminine way, I had more street vendors and people presenting their restaurant menu approach me than in the half hour or so I had spent on the beach before. The difference was stunning. Needless to say, I put the shorts and shirt on for the walk back.
Neat flowers on Cabello's farm and a cacau pod (very yummy, I made cocao nibs out of the seeds).
I have also been preparing to fly to Peru on February 8th (arriving on the 9th). On the 10th will be 4 hours by car and boat in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. I will have wi-fi about once every 3 days in Peru, so most of the preparations must be done beforehand. This includes buying bus tickets to Cusco and Lima, buying tickets to Machu Picchu, and finding a place to stay in Cusco. Everything is infinitely more difficult to do when the only times I have wi-fi are when I go to the bakery, and quite often I am a bit stressed about getting everything situated. Annika and I also bought tickets to and from Germany together: I arrive in Frankfurt on April 22 and depart from Hamburg on July 11. Also, most of my remaining college decisions will be released while I am in Peru. I also don’t know how many blog posts I can make from here on out, but I will do my best to post when I can. It is pretty amazing that my time in Brazil is almost over, but once again, I am ready to move on, and I am really looking forward to Peru.
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