Mestre Pelé da Bomba

Natalício Neves da Silva was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1934, in the district of Cipoá in the municipality of Governador Mangabeira, deep in Bahia's Recôncavo region. The son of Cosme Neves and Isaura, young Natalício learned early the hard work of survival—making charcoal, harvesting cassava, and working the land alongside his father.

At twelve years old, Natalício began selling merchandise in Salvador's capital markets. This brought him to the ramp of the old Mercado Modelo, near the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia, where he encountered the legendary capoeiristas of old Bahia. There he met Mestre Bugalho, a dock worker who would become his teacher. During rest hours and on moonlit nights, Bugalho taught the young boy to gingar on the sands of Praia da Preguiça. "Segui a tradição do meu mestre, Bugalho," Pelé would later say, "um grande tocador de berimbau. Ele era um dos melhores." (I followed my master's tradition, Bugalho, a great berimbau player. He was one of the best.)

Natalício frequented the legendary rodas of the era: Mestre Waldemar's palm-thatched barracão in Pero Vaz (Corta Braço), the Sunday afternoon rodas directed by Zacarias Boa Morte, and the festivals of Nossa Senhora da Conceição and Santa Luzia. When he arrived at Waldemar's barracão, the mestre would greet him: "Lá vem Satanás!" (Here comes Satan!). Among the bambas of that golden generation were Waldemar da Liberdade, Caiçara, Traíra, Onça Preta, Sete Mola, Cabelo Bom and Bom Cabelo (the twins), Angolinha, Avani, and Bel and Del.

At 24 years old, in 1958, Natalício was recognized as a mestre—at a time when the people themselves granted capoeiristas the title of mestre. His nickname "da Bomba" came from his membership in the Fire Department (Corpo de Bombeiros). Beginning in 1959, he taught classes in the Army (Região Companhia do QG), and from 1966 at the Fire Department and Military Police. "In those times, it was common for police to train capoeira," he recalled.

For 25 years, Pelé da Bomba taught capoeira while participating in important Bahian folklore groups. He joined Viva Bahia, founded by ethnomusicologist Emília Biancardi in 1962, and performed with Mestre Canjiquinha's group at the Belvedere da Praça da Sé, showcasing capoeira, maculelê, puxada de rede (net pulling), and samba de roda to tourists. He performed at Bahia's great festas de largo: Conceição da Praia, Boa Viagem, and the Lavagem do Bomfim.

In January 1964, photographer H. Rautavaara documented Pelé da Bomba at the Segunda-Feira Gorda celebration in Ribeira, capturing him in photographs and video—wearing a red berimbau, a gold cap, and a cigarette in his mouth.

Around 1981, illness forced Pelé to step back from teaching. Nearly twenty years later, the Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola (ABCA) brought him back through their initiative to rescue the old masters. He served on ABCA's Council of Masters and later became president of the organization. He operated the Academia de Capoeira Angola at the Forte de Santo Antônio Além do Carmo in Salvador's historic center.

In 2003, Pelé participated in the recording of the CD "Lenço de Seda - Antologia de Ladainhas e Corridos." He would go on to record three CDs and one DVD, documenting his remarkable voice for posterity. In 2010, he published his autobiography "O Pelé da Capoeira," launched at the Forte de Santo Antônio Além do Carmo.

The Faculdade Dom Pedro II in Salvador honored him with the title "Notório Saber" (Notable Knowledge) as "Guardian of Afro-descendant Knowledge."

Pelé da Bomba carried the memories of capoeira's golden age. He sang at the funerals and seventh-day masses of his contemporaries—Caiçara, Bom Cabrito, Zacarias Boa Morte—his golden voice marking their passage. He advocated tirelessly for retirement benefits for masters over 65 with 35+ years of practice.

Mestre Pelé da Bomba died on October 26, 2024, at age 89. The Bahia Culture Secretary declared: "Pelé da Bomba leaves a significant legacy for Bahian culture." His family described him as "a legend and iconic figure of Capoeira Angola, as well as an essential pillar of Afro-Brazilian culture."