Mestre Brandão

Américo Araújo Brandão was born on February 10, 1930, in Amargosa, a small town in the interior of Bahia, in the Recôncavo region. He would become one of the respected old guard mestres of Capoeira Angola, carrying forward the traditions he learned from the legendary Mestre Waldemar.

In 1950, at twenty years old, Brandão began learning capoeira with Mestre Waldemar, encouraged by a friend from sports. Waldemar, known as "O Herói da Liberdade" (The Hero of Liberdade), was one of the most influential capoeira mestres of the 20th century, famous for his Barracão on Estrada da Liberdade in Salvador where he held legendary Sunday rodas from 1940 to 1968.

Brandão worked professionally as a first sergeant (primeiro sargento) in the prison system, serving at Pedra Preta (Castelo Branco), the Lemos de Brito penitentiary in Mata Escura, and the Santo Antônio prison. Despite the demands of his career in the penitentiary system, he maintained his connection to capoeira throughout his life.

On November 7, 1970, Brandão's son Beto was born, who would follow his father's path and become a contra-mestre in capoeira, continuing the family tradition.

In 1986, Brandão participated in a significant event organized by GCAP (Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho) alongside his teacher Mestre Waldemar and Mestre Zacarias. Historical photographs from this event show Brandão among legendary figures including Mestres Bobó, Eziquiel, João Pequeno, and João Grande—a gathering of the old guard who had learned capoeira before its modernization.

Brandão was part of a remarkable generation of angoleiros who preserved traditional Capoeira Angola during the era when Capoeira Regional dominated the scene. In the 1990s, his knowledge became valuable to younger mestres seeking to reconnect with the old traditions. Mestre Marrom (Henrique Anastácio de Jesus) of Rio de Janeiro, who was researching and documenting capoeira Angola, developed relationships with the "old guard" including Brandão, Gato Preto, Bigodinho, Boca Rica, Felipe, and João Grande, resulting in CD recordings that preserved their voices and music for future generations.

In January 2024, Brandão was among the fourteen octogenarian Brazilian mestres honored at the 5th Rede Capoeira event in Salvador, recognized as a "national hero and guardian of knowledge" for his contributions to Brazilian culture. At ninety-three years old, he was celebrated alongside fellow Bahian mestres including João Grande, Acordeon, Boca Rica, Felipe de Santo Amaro, Pelé da Bomba, and others.

Mestre Brandão died on April 30, 2024, at the age of ninety-four, having dedicated over seven decades to capoeira. The velhosmestres.com website documented his life with a live recording from 2009 and twelve photographs spanning from 1986 to 2020, preserving his legacy as one of the last direct links to Mestre Waldemar's lineage.

His passing marked the end of an era—the gradual loss of the old guard who learned capoeira in the mid-20th century, before academies and formal systems transformed the art. Brandão's contribution was in simply being there: training with Waldemar, maintaining the traditions, participating in rodas and events, and passing what he learned to his son and the next generation.