Cobra Mansa

[1] He is one of the founders and the guide of International Capoeira Angola Foundation, that supports 11 affiliated groups in the United States, Brazil and Europe.

Prior to dedicating his life to capoeira Angola, he worked in photography, as a street vendor in a circus (Circo Picolino) and even served as a police officer for 2 years in the state of Belo Horizonte.

In 1981, Mansa started with the Grupo Capoeira Angola Pelorinho (GCAP), aimed towards children and orphans with rough backgrounds in Salvador, Bahia.

Around 1994, on invitation from the Ausar Auset Society, Cobrinha moved to the United States and opened a school in Washington, D.C., which was solely dedicated to the teaching of Capoeira Angola.

He spent time in Angola and Mozambique learning about the n'golo martial art and other local African cultural traditions that contributed to the development of capoeira.