Bugalho

Edmundo Joaquim was known in the capoeira world as Bugalho. His nickname came from the size of his eyes—according to capoeiristas of his time, they looked like two "bugalhos" (round growths found on oak trees).

Bugalho worked as a dock worker (carregador de embarcações), loading and unloading boats in Salvador during the first decades of the 20th century. The labor was hard, with long hours under the tropical sun. But during his rest periods, on moonlit nights, Bugalho would make his way to Praia da Preguiça beach. There, with the sea as backdrop, he would play berimbau and sing. His music carried from the beach up to the cidade alta (upper city).

Those who heard him said he was one of the greatest berimbau players of old Bahia and a master in the art of singing. He excelled particularly at São Bento Grande, a rhythm demanding both technical skill and endurance. "He was one of the best", recalled his student Pelé da Bomba decades later. "He played São Bento Grande very well, especially on moonlit nights".

Bugalho frequented the legendary rodas at Mestre Waldemar's barracão in the Corta Braço region (now Avenida Peixe), near the old Estrada dos Boiadeiros in the Liberdade neighborhood. He was also a regular presence at the ramp of the old Mercado Modelo and at Salvador's festas de largo (street festivals). Alongside Waldemar, Caiçara, and Traíra, Bugalho composed the select group of cantadores and tocadores who defined the sound of 20th century capoeira in the streets of old Bahia.

Pierre Verger photographed Bugalho playing berimbau at Waldemar's barracão around 1955, documenting these sessions for O Cruzeiro magazine. The images show Bugalho alongside Traíra and Nelson, the berimbaus in their hands. In 1960, French television captured him in the documentary "Voyage sans passeport", playing capoeira on Itapuã beach with Waldemar, Caiçara, and Traíra.

One source claims Bugalho was the first to extract wire from tires by hand ("na raça") without burning them—before this, berimbau strings came from fence wire or were burned and rusty. He is also credited by this source with starting to make berimbaus to sell at the Água de Meninos market and inventing a special paint for them, creating a famous blue berimbau named "Azulão". However, most sources attribute these innovations to Mestre Waldemar. The historiographical discrepancy remains unresolved.

On the moonlit sands of Praia da Preguiça, Bugalho encountered the young Natalício Neves da Silva, a boy from Governador Mangabeira. It was 1946, and Natalício was twelve years old. Bugalho taught him to gingar during those rest hours and full moon nights. "Segui a tradição do meu mestre, Bugalho", Natalício would later say, "um grande tocador de berimbau. Ele era um dos melhores". (I followed my master's tradition, Bugalho, a great berimbau player. He was one of the best.) The boy would become Mestre Pelé da Bomba—the "Gogó de Ouro" (Golden Throat) of Bahia—who carried Bugalho's musical lineage into the 21st century.

Mestre Pastinha listed Bugalho among the legendary deceased practitioners of "pure Capoeira de Angola" in 1967, placing him alongside Américo Ciência, Amorzinho, Chico Três Pedaços, Doze Homens, and others. This indicates Bugalho died sometime before 1967. His exact death date remains unknown.