| Capoeira is a rich artistic expression of Afro-Brazilian culture and heritage that combines aspects of martial arts, play, sport, dance, philosophy, ritual, music and performance. Rooted in Brazil's slave trade, this art form serves as an ongoing critique of social and racial inequality and as a means of conscientization among its practitioners. Capoeira currently plays a significant role in a popular black movement in Brazil's Northeast region and is successfully being employed as a development strategy for many community-based socio-economic and cultural initiatives. This thesis explores Brazilian capoeira as a source of empowerment and a vehicle for community development within a framework of empowerment discourse. The nature of this paper is multi-disciplinary, drawing from and bridging theoretical gaps between International Development Studies, History, Anthropology, Sociology and Performance Studies and African studies. |
