Antonio Neves Braga, called Mestre Braga ( born June 13, 1957 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), is a master and teacher of the Afro- Brazilian martial art Capoeira Angola. Mestre Braga is the founder of Grupo Capoeira Angola Bantu Africa and one of the founders of Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho ( GCAP ).
Braga started Capoeira in the early 1970s to practice when he joined the Regional Capoeira Palmares group in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 14 years. There he learned the Roni Mestre, Mestre Zé Macaco and Mestre Vermelho Cabelo know. When the group broke up, he led Capoeira with Mestre Mestre Touro and Dentinho in the Grupo Corda Bamba continued.
1975 met Braga during a Roda at the Central do Brasil, on the edge of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro, at Mestre Moraes. These key encounter brought him close to Capoeira Angola. Capoeira Angola can be considered a kind of school or approach are considered of Capoeira, which is based on the teachings of Mestre Pastinha. Mestre Moraes school in Rio de Janeiro was the first school, the Capoeira Angola taught outside of Salvador de Bahia. It was originally founded by Mestre Moraes after he was for the purpose of military service from Salvador de Bahia moved to Rio de Janeiro.
Braga practiced in Capoeira Angola under the guidance of Mestre Moraes and received on December 16, 1978 his title " Mestre " together with his colleagues Neco and Zé Carlos. In December of the following year paid Mestre Braga, together with Mestre Moraes, Mestre Pastinha a visit to Salvador da Bahia from.
1980, GCAP was founded. The founding idea of the club came from Mestre Neco and had the goal to oppose the persecution of African culture by the then Brazilian government. The logo of the group represents a berimbau and two warring zebras, as a reference to the African origins of capoeira. The idea for this symbolism came from Mestre Braga. The aim of the association was to unite all the Mestres of Capoeira Angola in Rio de Janeiro under one roof. These were Mestre Moraes, Mestre Braga, Mestre Mestre Neco and Zé Carlos.
1982 returned Mestre Moraes back to Salvador de Bahia and thus left the three young Mestres the full autonomy and responsibility to continue his teaching. Shortly before his departure rose Mestre Moraes and his pupil Marco Aurelio to the rank of Mestre.
In 1994, Mestre Braga left the GCAP and founded his own group called Bantu Africa. Three years later, in 1997, and after he had moved to Denmark, he built Africa Bantu groups in the cities Aahus and Copenhagen. After moving to Switzerland in 2002 he established an Africa - Bantu group in Geneva. There he taught today in this popular sport.