Mestre Môa do Katendê

Romualdo Rosário da Costa was born on October 29, 1954, in the Dique Pequeno community of Salvador's Engenho Velho de Brotas neighborhood, near the iconic Dique do Tororó. He discovered his roots early at his aunt's terreiro, Ilê Axé Omin Bain, where at age eight he began learning capoeira. That same year, 1962, he joined Mestre Bobô's Academia de Capoeira Angola Cinco Estrelas, beginning a journey that would make him one of the most influential cultural figures in Bahian history.

For the next decade, young Môa immersed himself in the Angola tradition at Bobô's academy. At sixteen, however, he shifted focus to folkloric groups, joining the renowned "Viva Bahia" ensemble led by researcher Emília Biancardi for European tours (1976-1977), and later the group "Katendê"—a name he would later adopt as part of his own identity.

In 1977, Môa won the prestigious Festival da Canção at Ilê Aiyê, Brazil's first Afro bloco, with his composition "Bloco Beleza." This victory catalyzed his next project: in May 1978, he founded Afoxé Badauê together with residents of Engenho Velho de Brotas. Afoxé—"the Candomblé of the street"—brought sacred rhythms into carnival, and Badauê revolutionized the form. The group's 1979 debut brought an unprecedented 8,000 people to the streets, and Badauê won the carnival championship in the afoxé category that same year.

What made Badauê transformational was Môa's vision of re-Africanization. He introduced amplified sound systems, expanded participation to include women and white participants, and broadened the musical repertoire beyond strictly sacred songs. This sparked a cultural movement that influenced Brazil's greatest artists. Caetano Veloso attended rehearsals and paid tribute with his song "Badauê" on the album "Cinema Transcendental" (1979). Gilberto Gil, Moraes Moreira, and the Novos Baianos all drew inspiration from what Môa had created.

On April 5, 1987, Mestre Bobô formally graduated his first generation of mestres: Môa do Katendê and Lua de Bobó. The evaluation panel included the legendary mestres João Grande, João Pequeno, Vermelho, and Dona Romélia (Mestre Pastinha's wife). From then on, Môa taught at the Academia de Capoeira Angola 5 Estrelas, now located at the Clube de Regatas Vasco da Gama, and at his aunt's terreiro Omin Bain.

In 1984, Môa had moved to Rio de Janeiro to teach capoeira angola, and later to Porto Alegre, establishing Afro-Brazilian dance traditions in Rio Grande do Sul. He collaborated with Jorge Ben Jor on the musical projects "Negra Música" (1988) and "Venha ao Vale" (1989) in São Paulo as part of the Black Artists Movement.

In 1994/1995, he created Afoxé Amigos do Katendê in São Paulo, which he would take around the world. In 1997, returning to Salvador, he began a project with 60 children at the Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola (ABCA). He served as ABCA's cultural director from 1998 to 2002, and became president in 2003. That same year, he founded Agremiação Gunga with Mestre Marrom, Mestre Mola, and others—the first capoeira carnival block in Brazil.

Throughout his life, Môa worked at the intersection of capoeira, music, and social justice. He taught percussion and capoeira to children at FEBEM (the former juvenile detention system) and SOS Criança. He was building a community institute in his childhood neighborhood when tragedy struck.

On the night of October 7, 2018—hours after Brazil's polarized first-round presidential election—Môa was in a bar in Dique Pequeno when a Bolsonaro supporter initiated a political argument. After learning Môa had voted for the Worker's Party candidate Fernando Haddad, the aggressor left, returned with a knife, and stabbed Môa twelve times in the back. He died in the early hours of October 8, 2018, at age 63.

The murder provoked international outrage. Caetano Veloso wrote: "Moa was my friend and he was one of the central figures in the growth of Afro-Blocos in Salvador. As the founder of Badauê, as a song composer and a master of capoeira, Moa lived the real history of this city and of this country." Ten days later, Roger Waters performed at Salvador's Arena Fonte Nova for 28,000 people and delivered a tearful tribute: "He was a great example to believers in spreading love and humanity and empathy and courage."

In 2021, Bahia passed Lei Môa do Katendê (Law 14.341), creating the "Capoeira nas Escolas" program in his honor. His legacy lives on through the documentary "Môa, Raiz Afro Mãe" (directed by Gustavo McNair), the tribute album of the same name featuring sixteen artists including BaianaSystem, Emicida, and Chico César, and the Instituto Mestre Môa do Katendê now being built by his family in Dique Pequeno.