Mestre Vermelho de Pastinha (Maurício Lemos de Carvalho)
9 Mar 1946 – 30 Mar 2022

Mestre Vermelho was a steadfast angoleiro who learned his craft directly with Vicente Ferreira Pastinha. Born in Itiúba, Bahia, he moved to Salvador in 1964 and entered Pastinha’s academy on March 10. He trained there through 1970, taking from the house not just movements and toques, but a clear idea of capoeira as culture, ethics, and measure.

His game was clean, low, and musical. In 1970 he took second place at the Berimbau de Ouro tournament in the Balbininho gym, finishing behind Mestre Gato Preto with Canjiquinha in third. Soon after, he focused on bringing Angola to public stages and community spaces. He founded Grupo Folclórico Afonjá in 1971, which became Bahiatotal in 1976 and later Grupo Moenda in 1986, when he acquired Moenda Turismo in Boca do Rio. He appeared in recordings and films that helped document the tradition, including beach-game footage from 1965 and the production Capoeira em Cena in 1985.

Vermelho spoke often about unity without confusion. In his view, Angola and Regional are different ways to play with equal value, and the future of the art depends on dialogue and respect. As a teacher and organizer he modeled that stance, guarding ritual, honoring the berimbau’s command, and keeping the jogo on the ground where malícia breathes.

He passed away in Salvador on March 30, 2022. His legacy is a clear line back to Pelourinho 19 and a lifetime of work that kept Capoeira Angola visible, thoughtful, and true to its roots.