Capoeira has its roots in Africa. Africans brought their dances, rituals and musicality to Brazil, and motivated by the need to be free from slavery and their ’senzalas’ (slave quarters) capoeira was born. At once serious and playful, dance and fight, spiritual and profane the uniting element behind the art from ancient to present is it’s drive for freedom.
The love-child of Abigail Clarke (Producer) and Daren Bartlett (Director), O-Zelador shoots a wide-angled gaze at Afro-Brazilian tradition using the life and experience of Capoeirista Mestre Russo as a medium. A humble figure, Russo prefers to be known as O-Zelador or ‘The Caretaker’ in reference to his self-appointed role as the guardian of the culture and integrity of Capoeira. A title which he richly deserves. If you’re looking for Russo, you’ll be guaranteed to find him every weekend at the famous ‘Roda De Caxias‘, a street Roda (capoeira circle) of which he has been the guardian for decades. Sometimes as many as three generations of capoeira players can be found at this Roda, and it provides a vital opportunity for the residents of the Baixada Fluminense to come together in spirit, dance, song and of course battle. Having survived attacks under dictatorship and hostility from the various state sanctioned academies, the Roda De Caxais is a symbol of defiance, strength and freedom to it’s participants.
Afro-Brazilian culture runs deep. O Zelador successfully communicates stories of the origins of capoeira, and its links with the Orisha worshipping Candomble ‘cult of nature’ whilst relating Russo and his family’s personal stories, lived out against a backdrop of poverty, crime and government oppression. The thread linking all these elements together is community, something we feel very strongly about…
Check out the trailer and a brief description of the Candomble religion below and if you want more, jump to the official O Zelador site here.
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