Mestre Ivan de Santo Amaro

Ivan Raimundo Sales, known as Mestre Ivan de Santo Amaro, is a Capoeira Angola master and internationally recognized artisan based in Santo Amaro da Purificação, in the Recôncavo Baiano region of Bahia. Born around 1966, he began his capoeira journey in 1976 at the age of ten under the guidance of Mestre Ferreirinha (José Ferreira dos Santos, 1925-1998), training with him for approximately a decade.

Mestre Ferreirinha was a significant figure in Santo Amaro's capoeira history—a man who learned from Mestre Antônio Asa Branca and who knew Mestres João Pequeno and Pastinha personally, spending considerable time with the latter. He was renowned as an exceptional berimbau player. According to Ivan's testimony preserved in velhosmestres.com interviews, "Nobody could play berimbau like him."

After Ferreirinha's death in 1998, Ivan continued his legacy. On October 9, 2005, he founded ACANA (Associação de Capoeira Aprender Netos de Angola) on Rua do Coentro Miúdo in the rural zone of Santo Amaro da Purificação. The organization's name—"Grandchildren of Angola"—speaks to its mission of preserving Angola capoeira traditions while guarding the legacy of Mestre Ferreirinha.

Ivan has become renowned internationally for his traditional instrument-making. His caxixis, crafted from woven junco (rush) and piaçava with natural seeds, are sought after worldwide. He also makes berimbaus from various types of biriba wood including café (coffee wood), reco-recos in bamboo, and agogôs de castanha (wooden double bells). He cultivates his own cabaças (gourds) and biriba trees, maintaining complete self-sufficiency in his craft. His pyrographed decorations and high-quality sound have made his instruments prized by specialists. Visitors from across Brazil regularly come to his workspace in Santo Amaro to acquire instruments and learn traditional craftsmanship.

In August 2008, Ivan co-organized the "Tributo a Mestre Bigodinho" alongside Mestre Lua Rasta. This three-day celebration honored Mestre Bigodinho (Reinaldo Santana, 1933-2011), a student of Mestre Waldemar who had stepped away from capoeira in the 1970s due to repression and returned in 1997. The event, announced by Portal Capoeira in June 2008, took place August 22-24 across Salvador and Santo Amaro, culminating in Acupe—Bigodinho's childhood home. It included the launch of Pedro Abib's documentary "Memórias do Recôncavo: Besouro e outros capoeiras," workshops in capoeira angola and samba de roda, and a maculelê workshop led by Mestre Adó.

In November 2023, Ivan led a roda de capoeira angola in Bordeaux, France, hosted by the Association Aruanda (Arte Negra Capoeira), demonstrating his international reach as both practitioner and cultural ambassador.

Today, ACANA continues its social and cultural work in Santo Amaro, though the organization faces challenges due to insufficient public support and lack of effective institutional policies supporting Angola capoeira preservation in the region.