Besouro Mangangá
Besouro Mangangá (* 1897 (year of birth disputed); † July 24, 1924 in Bahia , Brazil; actually Manuel Henrique Pereira or Besouro Cordão de Ouro ) was a capoeirista in Amaro da Purificacâo near Salvador da Bahía , Brazil .
Life and legend
Mangangá is one of the most famous capoeiristas , and there are numerous songs about him. Most of what we know about him comes from these songs or other oral traditions. The share of truth can therefore be viewed critically.
The slave Tio Alipio taught Henrique the art of Capoeira in his childhood. He got his stage name Besouro Mangangá (Besouro means beetle; Mangangá is Portuguese for bumblebees ) because, like a beetle, it could always disappear in case of danger.
Mangangá moved through the country, worked as a day laborer . He always stood up for the weak and poor. Since Capoeira was forbidden at the time, he often had conflicts with the police. Attempts to arrest or kill him, however, repeatedly failed, and Mangangá even taunted the police. This gave rise to the legend that he had the ability to transform into a beetle.
On July 24, 1924, Mangangá was allegedly stabbed to death with a knife from the wood of the Tucum tree.
Literature and film
The Legend of Besouro was filmed in 2010 by João Daniel Tikhomiroff.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mangangá, Besouro |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Henrique Pereira, Manuel; Besouro Cordão de Ouro |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Capoeirista |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1897 |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 24, 1924 |
| Place of death | Bahia , Brazil |