HISTORY
The Alto do Coqueirinho came into being around 1979. At this time I (Tico Camale�o) lived in Nordeste de Amaralina near the then-famous center where Mestre Bimba taught his classes. And it was there, in that building, that the Master gave birth, together with his students, to Bahian Regional Capoeira (Capoeira Regional Bahiana). It was also there that I began my life in Capoeira, with Mestre Boz� Preto, Mestre Boz� Branco, Jai, Nenga, Berrou, Mestre Ninha, Mestre Falc�o, Manoel, Wellington and my son Gato Manhoso. Masters Nenel and Mois�is (Sucui�ba) also contributed much to my education, as did the following advanced students: Azul�o, Besouro, Chita, Bagulho, Pregui�a, Cuinh�, Abelhinha, Inda�a, Saguim, Macaquinho, Trov�o, Pelicano, Crocodilo, Gaivota, Jorge Bregueiro, and many others.
In 1983 I went to live in the Alto do Coqueirinho, approximately 20 kilometers from Nordeste de Amaralina, which had a population of 2500 homeless people � that is, people living in temporary structures of straw, cardboard, corrugated tin and the like. The population grew and grew, and within a short time the residents created a community center where meetings were held, classes in sewing were held, basic foodstuffs were distributed, and the like.
During this period the center was being admistered by the Mothers� Club and the president was Dona Maria Gen�sia. I proposed to teach Capoeira to children, three classes a week.
They told me to await the decision of the directorate; after a week I went back to get my answer. These were the words of Dona Maria Gen�sia: �Well, Capoeira is pretty, it�s our culture, but it has a lot of vagabonds and roughnecks and we don�t want roughnecks in our community.�
Big Dona Maria! This is how she was known in the community because of her stature and strong personality. She spoke in the name of the directorate: �If you want to do this Capoeira thing here, it will only be with the permission of the delegate of Itapu� (the town of which Alto do Coqueirinho is a subdivision)�
I protested but she said it was no use, that if I wanted to pursue the idea that�s how it would have to be because the capoeiristas she had known were all involved in criminal activities. I was up against a wall: if I didn�t go speak with the delegate it would seem that I was just another ruffian and this would confirm her hypothesis. And there I went to speak to the delegate. I introduced myself and presented the facts: that I needed his authorization to be able to develop the practice of Capoeira in the communtity. At that moment I was overcome by a feeling akin to past-life regresssion, as if I were in the slave-pen suffering with my ancestors. Then the delegate asked me: �You know Mestre Braz, Mois�s, Ezequiel, Itapoan, etc.?� I answered that I did, and he began to relate various events that had occurred in Mestre Bimba�s school and I thought: �This delegate is an expert in Capoeira!� It was more than that, he had experience; his name was Carlos Ciriaco and for a long time he practiced Capoeira in Nordeste de Amaralina with Mestre Bimba. I soon forgot that we were in the delegacia and we spoke the language of Capoeira. Mr. Ciriaco was very cool and the authorization was given. With this pioneering step (as there was Capoeira only in Itapu�, not in Alto do Coqueirinho), the Mutations Capoeira grew along with the population and today the Alto do Coqueirinho has a opulation of about 20000 inhabitants.
The House of Capoeira of Changes is a much-respected NGO in the community, and is carrying out social projects (financed on its own), spreading information on subjects such as: citizenship, racism, birth ocntrol, first aid, medicinal herbs, natural medecine, reiki, etc.
This is the Chameleon Project (an alternative way of life) � the Capoeira House of Changes�s major project, conceived to be adapted to a lacking community. The Capoeira House of Changes does not �fight� Capoeira � we simply play. Our fight is for human rights and for the regulamenta��o of the profession. Our philosophy is: �Life is change; wherever you may come from, come in peace.�
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