Mankind's Cultural Heritage in Brazil

Capoeira, Intangible Brazilian Heritage

Besides being enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage, the city of Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, celebrates another enlistment, now as a Brazilian intangible heritage. Besides the architectural, landscape and urbanistic set in the Historical Center of Salvador that has already been declared human cultural heritage, the capoeira – Brazilian cultural expression that has traveled all over the world and is internationally recognized – was declared by the Brazilian Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) as intangible heritage of the Brazilian culture.

Born from the black ghettoes over one century ago as a way to protest against the social unfairness, the capoeira is an art that mixes dance, music and popular culture, is mixed together with sports, and used to be considered a fight. The capoeira is the 14th artistic expression of Brazil enlisted as intangible heritage, thus ensuring its preservation as cultural heritage. Moreover, the new status allows for the design of projects and public policies towards the continuity of that manifestation.

A country rich in mixtures, Brazil has strong miscegenation of colors, races, sounds and spices, that can be perceived in the cultural and artistic diversity of its people. Working as the tourism segment that shows that diversity, highlighting the talent, happiness, faith and hospitality of the Brazilian people, the cultural tourism is the background of many itineraries in Brazil, notably Salvador, here the presence of the capoeira is stronger.

The capital of Bahia state became one of the main international tourism destinations. Famous for its history, for the legacy of people from other continents, for the cultural miscegenation, religious syncretism and for its warm people, for many years the city has been the stage to and object of study of professionals from different areas. The streets in the Historical Center of Salvador (Human Cultural Heritage) take tourists back to the early years of the history of Brazil. Deeply acquainted to the local culture, the local tourism guides explain how the first city of Brazil was colonized.