Mestre Neném, from Itabuna, in the south of Bahia, is one of the oldest and most discreet figures in the genealogy of capoeira, remembered mainly for his African origins and for having been the mestre of Mestre Paizinho (Teodoro Ramos). Even though there are few formal biographical records, his historical importance is profound, as he occupies the root of a lineage that would decisively mark the development of capoeira in the twentieth century.

At a time when capoeira was passed on almost exclusively by word of mouth and direct interaction, mestres like Neném rarely left written documents. Even so, his memory survives through the disciples he trained and the traditions he helped preserve. Being described as a capoeirista of African origin reinforces his direct connection with the cultural matrices that shaped capoeira in Brazil, at a time when the African experience in the country was still very close.

The greatest evidence of his relevance lies in the lineage that originates from him. Mestre Neném trained Mestre Paizinho, who, even while working under the legal repression of capoeira, kept the practice alive in Itabuna through clandestine training, strict discipline and a strong commitment to the transmission of knowledge. Paizinho, in turn, initiated Mestre Artur Emídio, a central figure in the consolidation of capoeira in Rio de Janeiro and one of the great names in the history of the art in the country.

In this way, Mestre Neném represents the ancestral link between capoeira from the roots, deeply linked to the African experience and traditional forms of teaching, and the capoeira that would later gain new urban spaces, cultural visibility and national recognition. Even without fame, academies or photographic records, his presence is felt in the continuity of the tradition.

Mestre Neném therefore remains a silent founding mestre - one of those who don't appear in the spotlight of history, but without whom many of capoeira's great names simply wouldn't exist. His legacy lives on in the Neném → Paizinho → Artur Emídio lineage, one of the most important branches of capoeira that flourished outside Bahia and helped shape modern capoeira in Brazil.