Mestre Paulo dos Anjos

José Paulo dos Anjos was born on August 15, 1936, in Estância, a small city in the state of Sergipe. At age five, in 1941, he moved to Salvador, Bahia, living on Rua Ubaranas. There he first encountered capoeira when he saw a member of Mestre Bimba's group practicing.

By age fourteen, the young José Paulo had established a reputation as a promising boxer in Salvador. But a year earlier, in 1949, he had met Mestre Canjiquinha—and that encounter would redirect his life. He began frequenting the street rodas of Salvador, quickly becoming captivated by capoeira.

In 1950, Paulo dos Anjos began formal training with Canjiquinha, entering a seven-year apprenticeship that would shape his entire approach to the art. By 1957, he had graduated under Canjiquinha's tutelage—consecrated as a mestre by the hands of his own teacher. At the festas de largo, his technique and skill drew everyone's attention.

He also frequented the rodas at Mestre Pastinha's academy and worked alongside Mestre Gato Preto. In 1963, he began teaching at Gato Preto's academy, initially at Engenho Velho da Federação and later at Mirante do Calabar. The two mestres developed a close working relationship that would continue for years.

By the mid-1960s, Paulo dos Anjos brought capoeira to Vera Cruz island and Mar Grande. His first student on Itaparica Island was Mestre Jaime de Mar Grande, followed by Mestre Jorge Satélite. Starting in 1985, he organized the annual "Encontro de Mestre Paulo dos Anjos" (Mestre Paulo dos Anjos Encounters) on the island, gatherings that brought together significant portions of Bahia's capoeira community.

In the 1970s, concerned about the direction of Capoeira Angola, Paulo dos Anjos decided to travel to São Paulo to transmit his master's teachings. As he later explained: "The situation was bad for me, during a lean time without fish, and a student—who trained boxing with me and knew I played Capoeira—invited me to go to São Paulo, and I went."

For five years (1970-1975), he lived in São José dos Campos, where on August 15, 1975, he founded the Associação de Capoeira Anjos de Angola (Angels of Angola Association). In 1978, he achieved a major competitive victory: winning the capoeira championship at the legendary Ginásio do Pacaembu in São Paulo—a rare triumph for an Angola practitioner in the Regional-dominated competitive scene.

In 1980, Paulo dos Anjos returned to Salvador. He established an academy in Bairro da Paz (formerly called Malvinas after the Falklands War land occupation), teaching at the Salão Paroquial da Paz. He combined his capoeira work with a position as civil servant at the Salvador city hall. In the 1980s, he created the Associação Cultural de Capoeira Grupo Anjos de Angola Academia, focused on disseminating Afro-Brazilian culture with emphasis on socio-cultural education of children, youth, and adults.

He also influenced the movement of capoeiristas advocating for better working conditions—a cause that would remain important throughout his life.

In 1984, he participated in a major capoeira gathering in Rio de Janeiro and attended the church washing celebration in Pituba. By 1987, he had become vice-president of the newly founded Associação Brasileira de Capoeira Angola (ABCA), with Mestre João Pequeno as president. The election on July 3, 1987 put the "Evolução" ticket in power, with Paulo dos Anjos, Mário Bom Cabrito (Treasurer), Nô (Technical Director), and Renê (Social Director) forming the leadership.

That same year, he participated in the I Cultural Capoeira Symposium in the historic city of Ouro Preto.

In 1992, Paulo dos Anjos recorded his album "Capoeira Angola da Bahia," preserving his distinctive singing style. With his own way of singing the capoeira songs, he was venerated by all—his voice described as containing "an orchestra."

In a 1995 interview with "Capoeirando," he articulated his philosophy clearly: "I have always been an angoleiro. I don't even discuss Regional because I don't know it and don't understand it." He maintained that respect was essential to traditional capoeira, distinguishing it from modern interpretations where younger practitioners sometimes challenged mestres based solely on physical ability.

Mestre Paulo dos Anjos passed away on March 26, 1999, in Salvador, the victim of an infection contracted following surgery at a local hospital. His death represented an irreparable loss for Capoeira Angola.

His legacy lives on through his students—many of whom became mestres with their own academies around the world—including Virgílio do Retiro, Jaime de Mar Grande, Jorge Satélite, Pássaro Preto, Amâncio, Neguinho, Renê, Alfredo, Djalma, Galego, Mala, Josias, Cabeção, Jequié, Feijão, Vital, and Al Capone.

On June 5, 2005, the Colégio Estadual Mestre Paulo dos Anjos was established in Bairro da Paz, Salvador—honoring the mestre as an educator for his work in valuing capoeira as Brazilian cultural expression. In 2024, the documentary "Dessa arte eu sei um pouco" (I know a little about this art), directed by capoeirista and filmmaker Cled Pereira, premiered, featuring testimonies from Mestres Jaime de Mar Grande, Jorge Satélite, and Renê Bittencourt paying tribute to their former master.