Os meandros sinuosos entre história oral e documentação fotográfica: capoeira em Salvador nas fotos de Pierre Verger

Examining photographs of capoeira taken in mid-20th century Bahia by French photographer Pierre Verger (1902–1996), who lived in Bahia, this paper seeks to contribute to the history of capoeira in Bahia. The images and their respective contextualizations help to demystify some questions related to the creation of traditions considered important by capoeira’s various exponents. The paper presents inedited data from a study conducted in 2009 that has already resulted in a publication intended for children and capoeiristas. Thus, the methods of the study also examine the roles of these audiences, creating new procedures related to visual information about music revealed in the photos. In this sense, oral history and documents complement one another, in addition to images and their readings by various kinds of viewers. Finally, the article focuses on issues related to the invention of “rules” and “hierarchies” in capoeira and their relative arbitrariness, also touching upon questions of education and musical education contributing to further research.