Moa do Katendê

Origin

Salvador, BA

Also known as

Romualdo Rosário da Costa, Mestre Môa do Katendê

Genres

mpb, afoxe, samba, capoeira music

Instruments

percussion, voz

Biography

Mestre Môa do Katendê, born Romualdo Rosário da Costa, was a towering figure in Brazilian culture, celebrated as a master of capoeira de Angola, composer, percussionist, educator, and artisan. Hailing from Salvador, Bahia, he began his journey in capoeira at a young age within his aunt's terreiro and went on to become one of the most respected authorities of the tradition in the region. His artistic footprint extended deeply into Bahian carnival and traditional music, notably winning the Ilê Aiyê song festival in 1977 and founding the influential afoxé groups Badauê in 1978 and Amigos de Katendê in 1995.

Throughout his life, Môa do Katendê was a passionate advocate for the "re-Africanization" of Bahian youth and carnival celebrations, aligning his cultural work with prominent intellectual movements. His sudden and tragic death in 2018 sparked profound national and international outrage, prompting tributes from renowned MPB artists such as Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, as well as bands like BaianaSystem. His legacy has since been preserved through documentaries, posthumous albums, public honors, and cultural institutions bearing his name, cementing his status as an immortal pillar of Afro-Brazilian heritage alongside peers in samba and afoxé.

His artistic contributions and dedication to preserving African-diasporic traditions continue to inspire generations of capoeiristas, musicians, and educators across Brazil. Memorialized through street art, community projects like the Instituto Mestre Môa do Katendê, and educational spaces renamed in his honor, his spirit remains inextricably linked to the heartbeat of Salvador's cultural resistance. Artists and cultural movements frequently invoke his memory to champion racial equality and the vitality of ancestral traditions.