The Nzinga Capoeira Angola Group was created in São Paulo/SP, in 1995, and aims to preserve values and foundations of the traditional Capoeira Angola, according to the lineage of the greatest master in this field: Master Pastinha.

It is coordinated by Masters Janja (Rosângela Araújo – historian and educator), Poloca (Paulo Barreto – geographer) and Paulinha (Paula Barreto – sociologist), all of them before ‚capoeira‘ students with Masters João Grande, Moraes and Cobra Mansa.

One of the group key focus is sociality, thus Nzinga Group have been establishing partnerships with several educational and cultural associations, as well as with ‚capoeiristas‘ (‚capoeira‘ practitioners) that noticed in Capoeira Angola educational bases guiding to reflections about the African’s resistance in the Brazilian history.

In 2003 Nzinga Capoeira Angola Institute originated from Nzinga Group. The institute is a non-profit, non-governamental association and its main object is the study and the promotion of Capoeira Angola and its interfaces with social care and antiracism education.

Nzinga Group/Institute has main nucleus in São Paulo, Salvador and Brasília. As some members live outside Brazil, nucleus can be formed in other countries.

The Masters are:

Mestra Janja (Salvador – Bahia, Brazil / Currently in São Paulo)
Mestra Paulinha (Salvador – Bahia, Brazil)
Mestre Poloca (Salvador – Bahia, Brazil)
Mestre Tião Carvalho (São Paulo – SP, Brazil)

Mestra Manoela (São Paulo – SP, Brazil)

Contra Mestre Denis (Brazilia – DF, Brazil)

Contra Mestre Kosuke (Kyoto, Japan)