Mestre Gaguinho Preto

Everaldo Arcanjo de Assis, known as Gaguinho Preto, was born on June 12, 1934 in the Curva Grande neighborhood of Salvador's Centro Histórico. His apelido "Gaguinho Preto" means "Little Black Stutterer", suggesting he may have had a speech impediment - a common pattern in Brazilian nicknames that turn physical characteristics into affectionate identifiers.

Gaguinho Preto began learning capoeira remarkably young - at just four years old, around 1938. His early instruction came from three teachers in the Curva Grande neighborhood: Menino Gordo da Curva Grande ("Fat Boy of the Big Curve"), an older capoeirista named Roque (distinct from Mestre Roque Mendes dos Santos, who was born the same year as Gaguinho Preto), and Vitor Agaú (sometimes written as Victor H.U.), one of the early mestres who would be present at the founding of CECA in 1941.

The Curva Grande neighborhood had established capoeira activity since at least 1917, when Mestre Noronha documented a roda there. It was part of Salvador's historic center where informal transmission of capoeira flourished through street rodas and neighborhood training circles.

As Gaguinho Preto matured, he passed through Mestre Pastinha's Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola (CECA) at the Pelourinho, exposing him to the formal structure of the angola academy system. He also trained with Mestre Zeca do Uruguai, the renowned berimbau master from the Uruguai neighborhood in Salvador's Lower City (Cidade Baixa). Zeca do Uruguai was a first cousin of Mestre Gato Preto and cousin of Mestre Cobrinha Verde, all from Santo Amaro da Purificação.

Through these connections, Gaguinho Preto became part of the vibrant network of capoeiristas active in Salvador's Cidade Baixa. His contemporaries included Pierrô (one of Zeca do Uruguai's primary students), Cobrinha do Morro (Pedro Caipora, described as "one of the most dangerous"), Risadinha da Rua Chile, Edinho do Uruguai, Ninho from Ribeira, Cacua, Cutica (Nelson Moraes Paes), João Caveirinha (a skilled berimbau player), Nilton, and Edinho Bufo-Bufo. This informal community maintained the tradition of street rodas in neighborhoods like Ribeira, Massaranduba, Uruguai, Bonfim, and Jardim Cruzeiro.

By December 1989, Gaguinho Preto had achieved recognition as a mestre. A photograph from Omilad D'Angola's collection shows "M Augusto Januário and M Gaguinho Preto", with Mestre Gigante (1920-2016) at the back holding a berimbau. The "M" prefix confirms his status as Mestre at that time.

Mestre Gaguinho Preto died on April 29, 2002, at age 67. His life spanned the transformation of capoeira from a persecuted street art to a globally recognized cultural heritage. Starting at age four in the informal rodas of Curva Grande, passing through Pastinha's historic academy, and participating in the Lower City's vibrant street capoeira scene, he represented a generation that bridged the old informal transmission with the modern academy structure.