Mestre Ezequiel

Eziquiel Martins Marinho, known as Mestre Ezequiel or affectionately as "Zica" by friends and "Jiqué" by Mestre Bimba, was born on October 18, 1941, in São Gonçalo dos Campos in the Recôncavo Baiano region of Bahia. He came from a modest family and grew up observing capoeira at street rodas—learning "de oitiva" (by ear and observation) before formal training.

Before dedicating himself fully to capoeira, Ezequiel served as a military police officer in Salvador. It was through this profession, in the mid-1960s, that he met Mestre Saci (Josevaldo Lima de Jesus), one of the great disciples of Mestre Bimba. Saci introduced Ezequiel to Capoeira Regional, training him at the Quartel dos Dendezeiros, the Military Police barracks in the Itapagipe neighborhood. Saci then brought him to Mestre Bimba's Centro de Cultura Física e Luta Regional.

At Bimba's academy, Ezequiel found his calling. He graduated with the lenço azul (blue handkerchief), the mark of a formado in Capoeira Regional, alongside Luciano Figueiredo (Mestre Galo). His encounter with Mestre Bimba transformed what had been merely "a dream of being a famous capoeirista" into "an unconditional passion for this genuinely Brazilian art".

In 1964, while still training at Bimba's academy, Ezequiel began teaching his friends who noticed his new physical agility. As their numbers grew, he founded Grupo Luanda with his student Mestre Franklin. The group was formally registered as Grupo Folclórico Luanda in 1974. The name "Luanda"—the capital of Angola—honored the ports from which enslaved Africans said their last goodbyes to their homeland, while also meaning "the junction of the moon and the earth" in Yoruba.

When Mestre Bimba left Salvador for Goiânia in 1972, disillusioned by lack of governmental support, Ezequiel was chosen alongside Mestre Vermelho 27 to maintain the historic academy at Terreiro de Jesus. For several years after Bimba's death in 1974, Ezequiel continued teaching at the school in Pelourinho and at Forte de Santo Antônio (now Forte da Capoeira).

Ezequiel became one of capoeira's most renowned singers, musicians, and composers. Those who knew him said he "cantava com emoção" (sang with emotion). His distinctive voice and unique singing style made him, alongside Mestre Itapoan, one of the most responsible for spreading Mestre Bimba's philosophy throughout the capoeira world. In 1989, he recorded the album "Capoeira, Arte e Ofício" with 16 tracks, now considered a relic. He also recorded "Programa Nacional de Capoeira Volume 2" the same year.

His competitive achievements were equally impressive. Ezequiel was two-time Brazilian Capoeira Champion in 1976 and 1977, and received a trophy for "best ginga" in 1976. He participated in folkloric groups Olodum and Olodumaré, representing Bahia and Brazil at international festivals in Salta (Argentina) and Quito (Ecuador), winning gold medals and the prestigious "Humanaua de Oro" awards.

Ezequiel's approach to capoeira emphasized discipline and respect. He was deeply concerned about violence in the rodas, believing that internal conflicts between groups were destructive to the art. He warned that inexperienced capoeiristas could damage capoeira's foundational principles.

Among his students, the most famous is Mestre Jelon Vieira, who trained under him in Salvador before moving to New York in 1975, becoming one of the first to introduce capoeira to the United States. Mestre Omar da Conceição, born in 1957, began training with Ezequiel at age 12 at the Escola de Capoeira Mestre Bimba. On August 30, 1996, Ezequiel traveled to Baden, Switzerland, to inaugurate Mestre Omar's Academia de Capoeira União and personally elevated Omar to mestre status.

Mestre Ezequiel died on March 26, 1997, at age 55, suffering a heart attack despite being in excellent physical condition and at the height of his capoeira mastery. As the obituary in Capoeira Paris noted, his heart was "fatigued by the many emotions lived through countless rodas". His death left "um vazio nas rodas da terra" (a void in the circles of the earth). Many mestres have since dedicated songs in his memory.

His legacy continues through Grupo Luanda, which today operates in Brazil, Switzerland, France, Germany, Hawaii, and across the Americas, pursuing his foundational concept of "educação com base na capoeira" (education based on capoeira).