With the Brazilian national football team having shown off their skill on the Confederations Cup stage, Cape Town township kids are learning the moves of the South American country - and at the same time staying out of trouble. The Brazilian sport of capoeira - which was introduced by African slaves to Brazil in the 16th century and is a mixture of dance, music and martial arts — is being taught to children aged 6-12 years from townships such as Delft, Langa, Manenberg and Bonteheuwel.
Classes, which take place every day after school hours, were started by Beleza Lopez, an Angolan born capoeira teacher and founder of the non-profit organisation the Capoeira Educational Youth Association (CEYA).
Lopez, who started the township classes in 2006, said he was impressed at the amount of children that were eager to learn about capoeira, which he said was fun, safe, and developed high self-esteem.
“Children have the potential to do whatever they want, but due to a lack of resources many dreams are shattered.”
He said by providing free classes he was bringing children together to interact and in so doing using capoeira as a tool for child and youth development.
Classes involve a series of warm-up exercises, the practicing of body moves, rolls and jumps. Singing and music is integrated into the lessons. Overall, the impression is of a mix of karate, judo, ballet and dance.
Shannon Senter, 11, a Grade 4 learner at Boundary Primary School in Bonteheuwel said she had started classes in February and now all her other school mates wanted to join.
“I am the best and I am not going to stop playing,” she said.
Diana van Neel, the mother of nine-year-old Nadine, who attends classes every day at Bluegum community center in Bonteheuwel, said at first she had been worried about her daughter attending such a “strange” class.
But van Neel said she was now happy her child was attending the classes as she was no longer on the streets and was better focused on her school work.
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