Mestre Paulo Gomes

Paulo Gomes da Cruz was born on January 25, 1941, in Itabuna, southern Bahia—a cocoa-producing region and the birthplace of writer Jorge Amado. Like many Bahians of his generation, he migrated to Rio de Janeiro seeking better opportunities.

In the carioca capital, Paulo Gomes learned capoeira from Mestre Artur Emídio, who was also from Itabuna and ran an academy in Bonsucesso, a suburb north of the city center. At Artur Emídio's academy, he trained alongside other future mestres: Leopoldina, Celso do Engenho da Rainha, and Djalma Bandeira. It was there that he earned his capoeira name and graduated to the rank of mestre.

His capoeira genealogy traces a distinguished Bahian lineage: "son" of Mestre Artur Emídio (1930-2011), "grandson" of Mestre Paizinho (Teodoro Ramos), and "great-grandson" of Mestre Neném, a capoeirista of African origin.

On June 11, 1963, Paulo Gomes founded the Centro de Capoeira Ilha de Maré—reportedly the first to institutionalize the batizado (baptism ceremony) as a formal graduation ritual in capoeira. In 1967, he established an academy in São Paulo. He recalled that while he had 30 male students there, "in Rio, in three years, I trained more than 30 women".

In the 1960s, Paulo Gomes moved to the Baixada Fluminense, specifically to São João de Meriti in the Coelho da Rocha neighborhood. There he became a foundational figure, training mestres who would establish capoeira across the region. His principal disciples included Mestre Valdir Sales (1942-2019), who founded the Associação de Capoeira Valdir Sales in São João de Meriti, and Mestre Josias da Silva, who established the Associação de Capoeira Josias da Silva in Nova Iguaçu and Duque de Caxias.

The famous Sunday roda at Zé Pedro's academy in Bonsucesso (1973-1979) featured Paulo Gomes among its regular participants, alongside Artur Emídio, Mintirinha, Khorvo, Luis Malhado, Macaco Preto, Nilson Arerê, and Paulão Muzenza. These gatherings were legendary for their intensity—"his roda only had bambas, tough guys", recalled Mestre Valdir Sales.

In São Paulo, Paulo Gomes became one of the founders of a new capoeira community. In 1985, he created the Associação do Brasil da Capoeira (ABRACAP—Brazilian Capoeira Association). That same year, he helped establish State Law nº 4.649, designating August 3rd as "Dia do Capoeirista" (Capoeirista Day) in São Paulo. He served as an advisor to Governor Mário Covas on capoeira-related matters.

Among his São Paulo students was Mestra Maria Pandeiro (Roberta Maria Neves), who began training with him in 1980 at the Academia Ilha de Maré. She later founded Capoeira Dandara in Bremen, Germany (2002). Another notable student was Jorginho (Jorge Machado Silva), a 12-year-old prodigy of whom Paulo Gomes said: "This kid is the great hope of capoeira regional, he's too good".

He published a book, *Capoeira: a arte marcial brasileira* (Capoeira: The Brazilian Martial Art), and recorded a CD, *Roda de Capoeira da Ilha de Maré*.

Paulo Gomes met a tragic end on September 23, 1998. He was murdered inside his Ilha de Maré academy, located in São Paulo. The attack occurred during evening classes around 9 PM when a bailiff, accompanied by another man, entered and shot him. Two other capoeiristas—Mestre Fernandão (director of ABRACAP and a regular at the Praça da República roda) and Cristhiano—were wounded trying to intervene. Paulo Gomes died at the hospital. The motive was a debt he owed to a car rental company.

His wake was held in the academy hall, filled with homages from fellow masters. He was buried at the São Pedro Cemetery with traditional capoeira songs and berimbau music—a fitting farewell for a mestre who had devoted his life to preserving and spreading capoeira Regional.