Sete

Mestre Sete was a capoeirista from the Recôncavo Baiano who served as the first teacher of Mestre Gegê (Geraldo Costa Filho, b.1948) in Maragojipe, Bahia. He introduced Gegê to both capoeira and Afro-Brazilian culture, laying the foundation that would shape Gegê's later career as one of the most important capoeira composers and historians.

Sete learned capoeira from two legendary mestres of the Bahian tradition: Mestre Onça Preta (Cícero Navarro, 1909-2006) and Mestre Rafael, known as Cobrinha Verde (Rafael Alves França, 1912-1983). Through Cobrinha Verde, Sete's lineage traces back to Besouro Mangangá himself, the most legendary capoeirista of Bahian history. Through Onça Preta, he connected to the generation that survived the Pedrito persecution and included masters like Samuel Querido de Deus, Aberrê, and Vitor Agaú.

This dual training under both Onça Preta and Cobrinha Verde placed Sete at the confluence of significant Angola lineages. He transmitted this heritage to young Gegê in the traditional manner—through immersion in capoeira and the broader Afro-Brazilian cultural complex of the Recôncavo.

Little else is documented about Sete's life. His significance lies primarily in his role as the link connecting Gegê to the legendary pre-persecution era of Bahian capoeira, and through Gegê, ensuring that these lineages continued to influence capoeira's development in Rio de Janeiro and beyond.