Associação Cultural de Capoeira Angola Capoeira School in Manchester & Leeds
ACCA
The Associação Cultural de Capoeira Angola - ACCA was officially founded at the start of 2006 by Professor William (William Sousa). However, the members of this group had been working on developing themselves as an association for three years previously.
The fundamental objective of ACCA is to preserve the traditional elements that characterise Capoeira Angola, valuing the aspects inherited from African culture. One understands better the
relevance of this objective when analysing the phenomenon of dissemination of the components of capoeira. Recently, martial and commercial aspects of capoeira have been execessively developed
at the expense of traditional elements - technique , rituals, music and philosophy. This constitutes a threat to the identity of capoeira. For many people Capoeira is just a
martial art whose main value is as a fighting weapon. For us, this perception , beyond encouraging violent practices, removes from capoeira its beauty: the plurality of its forms, the diversity
of its masquerades, aquired during its historical process of creation and re-creation in Africa and Brazil.
In ACCA capoeristas gather to carry out projects of social, political and cultural awareness. Instead of emphasizing the physical fight, we have been concerned with education about rights because
we believe that we are already subject to a certain kind of violence: the negation of basic citizen rights. Everyone - regardless of gender, colour, sexual orientation, religion or social background - can help us achieve our objectives.
The Associação Cultural de Capoeira Angola conducts classes to both Manchester and Leeds (UK). The group aims to carry out educational and cultural work with Capoeira Angola in Manchester. ACCA seeks to
involve the community offering a cultural exchange and an opportunity (for the youth) to discover another culture and to learn to live in a multi-cultural environment. We believe in the cultural and educational power of Capoeira Angola,
as well as in its potential to contribute positively to the ongoing process of community regeneration.
Besides training capoeristas angoleiros, we are a cultural research and education centre for capoeira, music, black culture, citizenship, childhood and adolescence, etc; and have produced both written and audiovisual documentation on these issues.
