Mestra Paulinha, Grupo Nzinga (Salvador)

Paula Barreto, known as Mestra Paulinha, is from Bahia, Brazil. She started her trajectory in capoeira in Salvador in the beginning of 1980’s. She has been invited to Capoeira Angola encounters in Brazil and around the world. She has also published articles, participated on panels, and given lectures on women and capoeira. She is one the founders and leaders of the Nzinga Capoeira Angola Group. Mestra Paulinha teaches Sociology at the Federal University of Bahia and is currently a post-doctoral Capes Fellow at Vanderbilt University, in the United States.