Capoeira
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines movement, music, acrobatics, self-defense, and game-like interaction. Developed in Brazil by enslaved Africans and their descendants, it is practiced worldwide as both a martial art and a form of cultural expression.
Capoeira is traditionally played in a roda (circle), accompanied by live music led by the berimbau and other traditional instruments. Practitioners exchange movements through a dynamic, non-scripted game that emphasizes timing, strategy, creativity, and cooperation as much as physical skill.
Today, capoeira is practiced in more than 150 countries and encompasses several traditions and styles, including Capoeira Angola, Capoeira Regional, and Capoeira Contemporânea. In 2014, the roda de capoeira was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.