Esquina and Angola BKLYN are honored to host Contra Mestre Rafael de Lemba for a two-day vivência exploring the oral traditions of Capoeira Angola and Candomblé de Angola.

Rafael was initiated into Capoeira in 1987 by his uncle, Mestre Tatu, and spent the following decades training alongside Mestres Ananias, Geraldo Baiano, and Aroeira. He founded Escola de Capoeira Mbutu Angola in 2010, and in 2013 was formed as Contra Mestre by Mestre Ananias. He's recorded two solo albums — Quando os berimbaus se encontram (2015) and Era eu era meu mano (2018) — and has taught workshops across Brazil and internationally.

He is also a luthier, building the berimbaus that Capoeira Angola is played on, and a Tata Xikarangoma in Candomblé de Angola, responsible for leading the sequence of songs and toques during ceremony.

These sessions are a chance to learn from someone who lives at the crossing point of both practices — where the drum and the voice carry knowledge the way they always have, passed down directly, person to person, and where his own relationship to the berimbau runs deep.

Contra Mestre Rafael de Lemba will also have his handmade berimbaus available for purchase, complete with dobrão, baqueta, and caxixi.

Space is limited! Register now.