Mestre Gato

Fernando Campelo Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, known as Mestre Gato, was born on June 14, 1947, in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. In 1952, at age five, he moved with his family to Rio de Janeiro, where his capoeira journey would begin.

In 1963, at a party, Gato encountered Paulo Flores Viana, a young Bahian who had trained at Mestre Bimba's academy in Salvador. Impressed by Paulo's capoeira abilities, Gato became friends with him and began training on the terrace of Paulo's apartment building in the Laranjeiras district. Alongside Paulo's brothers Rafael and Gilberto, and a growing group of teenagers, they formed the nucleus of what would become Grupo Senzala.

In 1964, Gato and Paulo represented Santana academy at the "Berimbau de Prata" competition, placing third. By 1966, when the group performed at a German Club and formally introduced themselves as "Grupo Senzala", Gato was already one of its core members.

In 1967, Gato began teaching capoeira at Brazil's two most prestigious universities—UFRJ (where he studied Civil Engineering) and PUC-RJ—becoming the first to introduce capoeira at these institutions. That same year, he and Mestre Preguiça represented Grupo Senzala at the first Berimbau de Ouro tournament held at Feira da Providência around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. They won. They won again in 1968. When they attempted to enter the third competition in 1969, the Capoeira Association barred them, declaring that their record had earned them recognition as masters—not students. Gato and Preguiça protested they were students, not masters. The association replied that two consecutive victories had established their master status. Unable to compete, they trained Mosquito and Borracha, who won the third Berimbau de Ouro, permanently securing the trophy for Senzala.

In 1968, Gato visited Mestre Bimba's academy in Salvador. He also trained with Mestres Ezequiel, Saci, and Popó in Santo Amaro da Purificação, and participated in Sunday rodas at Mestre Artur Emídio's academy in Bonsucesso (since 1965). He trained with Mestre Acordeon when Acordeon visited Rio. He connected with Mestre Suassuna and Paulo Gomes in São Paulo, building bridges across Brazil's capoeira communities.

In 1972, Gato participated in discussions about capoeira regulation in Brazil. In 1973, he received registration number 12 in the General Register of Capoeira Masters of Brazil as a green and white cord from the Brazilian Boxing Confederation—an early attempt to formalize capoeira's status.

In 1989, Gato traveled to Newcastle, England, to pursue a Master's degree in Water Resources Systems Engineering. While studying, he discovered that "the English have rhythm and like to fight", and organized capoeira rodas at the university. The success led him to create Grupo Senzala of Great Britain (GSGB), expanding the Senzala presence internationally.

In 1991, back in Rio, Gato organized the 25 Years of Grupo Senzala festival at the UERJ campus, bringing together red-cord members and capoeiristas from across Brazil. That same year, he graduated his son Pedro as instructor.

In October 2011, Gato received the Prêmio Viva Meu Mestre (2010 Edition), awarded by IPHAN (Brazil's Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage) to honor masters who preserve capoeira's cultural tradition. By 2014, he was appointed Titular Counselor on the Council of Capoeira Masters of Rio de Janeiro State, and by 2017, he became a full member of IPHAN's coordinated Rio de Janeiro State Council of Mestres.

On March 27, 2024, Mestre Gato recorded his oral testimony for the "Memória da Capoeira" special series at MIS RJ (Museum of Image and Sound), documenting four generations of Rio capoeira masters since the 1940s. The session was conducted by Mestre Paulão Kikongo, Mestra Celi, his son Mestre Pedro, and his wife Maria Beatriz Albuquerque.

As of 2025, Mestre Gato continues organizing the annual "Vadiação Senzala" gathering and participates in international capoeira events. Under his leadership, Capoeira Senzala has graduated 96 mestres (red belts), with 75 currently serving as group representatives. He remains one of the founding red cords who helped establish the collaborative leadership model that defines Grupo Senzala—one of the most influential capoeira organizations in the world.