“You’ve Got to Be the Medicine to Heal the Community”: Capoeira and the Art of Healing Mind, Body, and Spirit

Abstract

The African combat arts have been central to the struggle of African people for self-determination. They have been critical as vehicles of resistance, while also serving a number of important social roles such as being a basis for group cohesion, expressing the kinesthetics of African culture, functioning as a venue for various African musical traditions, and—most notably—providing a means for self-protection. One additional and significant role that these arts have taken on is as a means for cultural reclamation for African people and also as healing modalities. This essay explores the latter theme, examining how such healing is enacted through the learning and practice of Capoeira.