We also have "women's events" several times a year at various places across the country. I sit with mixed feelings on these events. Though I love to have the opportunity to train with great women teachers and have so much to learn from their years of experience in capoeira, I often see that most of the participants are women. It also makes me very aware that the supposed neutral in capoeira is male dominated events. I would love to see an event not marketed as a "Woman's Event" but just a "Capoeira Event" that had the majority or all women teachers. Even to have equal numbers would be really remarkable. I am holding out for that paradigm shift and will be very excited when it arrives.

I am looking for an opportunity to do workshops on gender and equality at capoiera events or as a way to build at least in my community and my school more awareness and to empower people to ask the questions, to break the cultural codes that hold our community back. To end the culture of silence.

The culture of silence is what allows this behaviour to perpetuate, and until we get beyond that, there will be no real change in the community. I will continue to raise my voice, and I hope that others join me. It is scary. I have been afraid of being ostracised by my community. I have been afraid of retaliation or of getting a reputation for being a trouble maker or that I will be kicked out of schools or that I won't advance because my teacher will punish me by withholding advancement. None of these things have happened so far, but I realize that these same fears that I am fighting against are likely the same fears others battle and are some of the fears keeping people silent. I want dialogue. I want communication and workshops with both men and women there so men can understand and be allies in this fight.

Actions taken have been to determine who will have your back at parties. Pairing up to run interferance for your sisters and never let them be cornered. It can be very imtimidating for men to stand up to mestres, too, and I know that this has stopped many of my friends and colleagues from interfereing in the past. But if we work together, we can empower each other and we will know that we are not alone in this battle for equality.