Mestre Saci

Josevaldo Lima de Jesus, known as Mestre Saci, was born on March 16, 1945, in Santa Barbara in the state of Bahia. In July 1964, at age 19, he began his formal training in Capoeira Regional at the legendary academy of Mestre Bimba in Salvador—the Centro de Cultura Física e Luta Regional.

Saci trained for many years directly under Mestre Bimba, becoming one of his dedicated disciples during the final active decade of the master's teaching in Salvador. This extended training period made him a firsthand witness to significant historical developments in Capoeira Regional and at Bimba's academy. He experienced the evolution of the art during a transformative era, providing him with deep knowledge of Bimba's methods, philosophy, and the capoeira community of that time.

Beyond his own training, Saci played an important role in introducing new practitioners to Capoeira Regional. In the mid-1960s, while serving in the Military Police, he met Eziquiel Martins Marinho (later known as Mestre Ezequiel). Saci introduced Ezequiel to Capoeira Regional, first training him at the Quartel dos Dendezeiros—the Military Police barracks in the Itapagipe neighborhood of Salvador. After this initial instruction, Saci brought Ezequiel to Mestre Bimba's academy, where Ezequiel would go on to become one of Bimba's most faithful disciples and a two-time Brazilian Capoeira Champion.

In the 1980s, Saci continued his teaching work at the Polo Estudantil da Capoeira, located in the Ginásio do Esporte at Vila Militar in the Bonfim neighborhood of Salvador. There, beginning in 1980, he trained students including Isnaldo da Silva Sacramento, who would later become known as Mestre Binal and dedicate over 36 years to teaching capoeira throughout Bahia.

In 2007, Saci received recognition of his mastery with the formal conferral of the Mestre cord. His role in the broader Capoeira Regional community extended to conferring titles on the next generation: he awarded the Mestre cord to Nelsinho (Nelson Batista) in 2006 and to Saguin in 2007. These mestres would go on to co-found UNICAR (União Internacional de Capoeira Regional) in 2003 and spread Capoeira Regional throughout Europe.

Saci was honored at the Capoeira Regional Centenary celebration that paid tribute to Mestre Bimba, alongside other distinguished mestres including Pombo de Ouro (José Bispo Correia), Itapoan (Raimundo César Alves de Almeida), and Deputado. He has continued to be active in the capoeira community, visiting mestres associated with UNICAR in Munich and other locations, helping to preserve the direct lineage and teachings of Mestre Bimba.

His title "DR". (as noted by his student Mestre Binal) suggests an academic or professional degree alongside his capoeira mastery, though details of this credential remain undocumented.