Mestre Omar

Omar Tisereve da Conceição, known as Mestre Omar, was born in 1957 in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. He first encountered capoeira as a child through street rodas before formal training. At age 12, he began studying under Mestre Ezequiel at the Escola de Capoeira Mestre Bimba, establishing a direct lineage to the founder of Capoeira Regional.

From age 17, Omar regularly performed with folkloric and show groups, developing his skills as both performer and practitioner. He also received further education and teaching experience at the Escola de Arte e Dança in Bahia, broadening his understanding of Brazilian cultural arts.

In 1985, Omar moved to Switzerland, becoming one of the pioneers to bring capoeira to the country. In Basel, he founded the first capoeira group and began giving courses and workshops throughout Switzerland and Germany.

In 1994, Mestre Omar founded Grupo de Capoeira União, an international association for the cultivation of Capoeira Regional. The organization's motto, "arte de fazer amigos" (the art of making friends), reflects his philosophy of capoeira as a tool for community building.

In 1996, he achieved two major milestones. He successfully organized the first Swiss "Ostertreffen" (Easter meeting), establishing an annual gathering tradition that continues to this day. Later that same year, in the autumn, his teacher Mestre Ezequiel traveled from Brazil to Baden, Switzerland, for a momentous occasion: the inauguration of the Academia de Capoeira União in the Merkerareal—the first capoeira school in German-speaking Switzerland. During this ceremony, on August 30, 1996, Mestre Ezequiel personally presented Omar with the white corda, elevating him to the rank of Mestre.

This would be one of Ezequiel's final acts as a teacher. He died in March 1997, leaving Omar as one of the custodians of his lineage.

Today, Grupo de Capoeira União operates across multiple countries including Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Brazil. The organization is registered with IPHAN as both a Ponto de Cultura and Ponto de Memória, with headquarters on Itaparica Island in Bahia. In Switzerland alone, academies operate in Baden (headquarters), Aarau, Chur, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, Winterthur, Wetzikon, and Zofingen.

Mestre Omar continues to lead the organization and teach at the Baden academy. He has expanded his work beyond the roda, giving courses and workshops at public schools and participating in community projects including "Gewalt macht Schule" (Violence Goes to School) conferences in Muttenz, "Welt in Basel", and the charitable initiative "Ajuda Brasil Crianças".

After more than 40 years in capoeira, Mestre Omar maintains that he continues learning. He supports his students, professors, and mestrandos, nurturing the next generation of the Bimba-Ezequiel lineage in Europe.