Mestre Genaro

Genaro Raimundo Coelho was born on June 21, 1934, in the Nazaré neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, at the Maternidade Doutor Climério de Oliveira. At age three, he came to Rio de Janeiro brought by his godmother, Senhora Almerinda dos Santos, and the family settled in Bonsucesso. However, at age ten, he had to return to his birthplace to work.

His first contact with capoeira came through the rodas at the Feira de Água de Meninos in Salvador - a vibrant market environment where capoeira was part of the cultural fabric.

After struggling to find work in Salvador, Genaro returned to Rio de Janeiro at age nineteen, going to live with his godmother in the Higienópolis neighborhood, hoping for better professional opportunities. As soon as he arrived, he joined the army, and it was around this time that he met Mestre Artur Emídio, who was living on the nearby Avenida dos Democráticos. Meeting with Artur Emídio, Valdemar Santana, and others, these young men shared an interest in capoeira and other martial arts.

Frustrated with his defeat in the fight against Robson Gracie, Artur Emídio was motivated by his friends to focus on teaching capoeira. Genaro became his student and participated in capoeira presentations from 1955 onwards. His first presentation was at the Christian Association of Young Men (ACM) in the Lapa neighborhood.

With Artur Emídio, Djalma Bandeira, and Vilela, Genaro participated in the television show "A Noite dos Escravos" (The Night of the Slaves) on TV Rio in 1957, invited by the producer Haroldo Costa. This was a significant moment for capoeira's visibility in Brazilian media.

It didn't take long for Genaro to meet Mestre Paraná (Osvaldo Lisboa dos Santos), with whom he learned to play berimbau. Paraná often assumed the direction of the orchestra (bateria) at Artur Emídio's roda, and Genaro accompanied him. In addition to being an excellent pandeiro player, Genaro also played berimbau in presentations and rodas - a legacy of his apprenticeship with Mestre Paraná.

Genaro toured internationally with a capoeira group, traveling to Portugal, Mexico, Germany, and France. In one memorable presentation in Rio with Tom Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia, and other MPB musicians and composers, Genaro composed a new version of "Paranaê", a traditional song in the public domain, honoring his berimbau teacher Mestre Paraná. There is a famous photograph in which Genaro appears with his tambourine and wide smile in the recording studio alongside names like Nelson Motta, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia, Paraná, and Jards Macalé.

Genaro was considered one of the great guardians of the history of capoeira in Rio de Janeiro, alongside Mestre Polaco (1949-2021). Both gave testimonies for the documentary "From the Ring to the Stage" about Mestre Artur Emídio before their deaths. The filmmakers expressed regret that they didn't have the resources to finalize the documentary before the departure of these old masters.

Genaro died on February 28, 2022, on a Carnival day and one day before the anniversary of the city of Rio de Janeiro - dates described as significant to the memory and culture of Rio, and certainly to the capoeira that he loved. Professor Marcelo Cardoso da Costa, a doctoral candidate in Social Memory at UNIRIO, noted: "The Master departed on a Carnival day and one day before the anniversary of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Landmark dates of Cariocan memory and culture". Citing Amadou Hampâté Bâ: "In Africa, each elder who dies is a library that burns". The death of Masters of Capoeira has caused the loss of many "libraries" in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.