Violence and Religion

In 2008, Capoeira was recognized as a Brazilian Cultural Heritage and, even today when we have easy access to information, we can often find people who prejudge capoeira as a violent art or people who say that capoeira is a type of a voodoo ritual, because of its afro-brazilian roots, what show us how uninformed these people are.

The Violence Question

The fact of capoeira be discriminated based on violence is easier to be understood, not acceptable though, than based on religious questions.
I consider that capoeira has been seen, for some people, as a violent fight because of some practitioners irresponsibility and necessity of self-affirmation, from beginers to mestres, people who doesn't deserve to be called capoeiristas because their attitude doesn't fit as such.
Capoeira was always a fight and needs to be kept as a fight, but it doesn't mean that capoeiristas need to be violent, once this martial art has emerged from the necessity of self defense of the blacks (slaves) against the overseers , not against themselves.
A hard game, caught, also known as "esquenta-banho" (heats bath), need to be kept as a way to improve reflexes as self-control, but must to be played by graduated capoeiristas who know the strenght of their blows and, most important, are conscient that their partners' physical integrity must to be preserved. 

The Religious Question

The original meaning of the word "Macumba" refers to a percussion musical instrument from Africa, although this word is usually spoken in its pejorative sense refering itself to Candomblé or Umbanda, african religions that got spread over Brazil through the slaves brought from different regions of Africa.
It's inadmissible, now a days, someone deny capoeira claiming it's a way to disseminate those religions aforementioned. First of all because it doesn't happen in capoeira classes taught by responsable and qualified professional. Second because the Freedom of Religion is guaranteed by the constitution, as its pratice, then to discriminate someone based on religious questions is a crime.
At capoeira classes the psychological, motor and musical development are estimulated because it is art, culture and sport, not religion.
A proof of this is the millions of capoeiristas spread all over the world, from differents countries, cultures and religion, playing capoeira TOGETHER.