Capoeira used to help the mentally ill in Mindelo

06/03/2010

“This is a project I make a point of developing personally, even though I have professional commitments and other projects on São Vicente as well as on the other islands where Abadá Capoeira operates. I can say that this is perhaps the most special work I’ve developed so far,” says Abadá’s Patcha, according to whom the project requires maturity and experience, considering the fact that, in this case, the association is working with people with special needs who are particularly sensitive.

“The training is not too intense. We mainly explore the musical and social side of capoeira, and every month I take different students (children, teenagers and adults) to the Center in order to promote wider integration,” says Patcha.

The reaction on the part of the patients, says Patcha, has been overwhelmingly positive, as they have begun to acquire greater mobility and have memorized most of the songs. Some of them even know some of the martial art’s movements. “The monitor at the Center told me that on the days we come the patients get anxious waiting for my arrival,” he explains.

The project is a part of Abadá Capoeira’s national plan, which calls for activities for children, teenagers, the handicapped and the elderly.

“My greatest concern has to do with teenagers, because they become rebellious between the ages of 13 and 18 and in some cases drop out of school. Later, when they want to go back, they’re either too old or their parents can’t afford private schools. With a low level of schooling, it’s harder for them to get a job and they end up slipping into violence.”

In order to deal with this problem, Patcha explains that Abadá Capoeira is developing an integrated capoeira/school plan to help monitor students in high-risk situations. The main aim is to keep them from dropping out of school or, if they do, to ensure that they have other professional options open to them.

“We intend to create a center where students, in addition to capoeira, will have classes in information technology, music and handicrafts so that they can fully occupy their free time,” concludes Patcha.