Mestre Cobra Mansa, a native of Brazil, has dedicated the last 26 years of his life to training, teaching, researching and preserving Capoeira Angola. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he had a thirst for movement and energetic personality that made him a natural. He was led to the art at age 14, and once on the path he never left. The name Cobra Mansa means "Tame Snake" and he was so named because of the way he moved in the roda. He was skinny, quick, and agile and "played laughing all the time". His passion was not without purpose, however. Since his early years, he actively fought against racism and social injustice, using Capoeira as a tool to liberate and educate its victims. He was an active member in the Black Movement in Brazil, and worked with street children as part of the well known "Projecto Axe".

In 1976 he began training with Mestre Moraes, and in 1982 they founded the Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho (GCAP) in Salvador. GCAP was the first organization to recognize and attempt to preserve the traditional form of Capoeira, Capoeira Angola. Until then, Capoeira Angola was being overtaken by a more flamboyant version, known as Capoeira Regional which had eliminated much of its ancestral spirit. Through the efforts of GCAP, the teachings of the old mestres of Capoeira Angola were revived. Students were taught the rich history of the art, the movements, the songs and the instruments. A community was formed which used Capoeira Angola as a vehicle for social change in Brazil. Cobra Mansa researched all aspects of Capoeira Angola, from its origins in Africa, through its turbulent history in Brazil, through the efforts of Mestre Bimba and Mestre Pastinha. He has researched, interviewed and videotaped many of the old masters in an effort to accurately understand and document the events leading up to the present. He is now a leading expert, not just on Capoeira, but the musical bow, the Black movement, and African martial arts, and holds a bachelors degree in physical education.

In 1994, Cobra Mansa came to Washington D.C at the invitation of the Ausar Auset Society to teach Capoeira Angola to children at their school. His classes grew in popularity with adults as well as children and a new branch of GCAP was established. In 1995, Cobra brought a large group from the US to Brazil to the First International Capoeira Angola Encounter sponsored by GCAP. This encounter brought together practitioners of Capoeira Angola with the old masters and scholars. The exposure stirred the commitment of many students in Washington and they desired to continue this exchange. During this time, internal issues with GCAP arose, causing Cobra to leave this organization and form the International Capoeria Angola Foundation in Washington, DC.

Together with Mestre Jurandir Nascimento and Contramestre Valmir Damasceno (a student of Cobra Mansa and Moraes who had a group in Salvador, Bahia), he set forth towards his goal of creating a Capoeira community. Under his leadership, ICAF in Washington DC is now an established nonprofit organization which maintains a training and resource center in the city. He has also committed much time and energy traveling to other groups who train with no mestre to provide them support, encouragement and wisdom.

Today, his time is dedicated to establishing the ICAF in Washington and supporting groups in Philadelphia, Austin, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Paris. He lectures extensively at universities and cultural organizations, in Portuguese and English, on all topics related to Capoeira, the musical bow, the Black Movement in Brazil and African martial arts, and has taught courses in Afro Brazilian culture at the George Washington University. He is often called on to consult with scholars, writers, researchers and students on Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian culture. The ICAF center in Washington currently houses his vast collection of videos and printed material related to Capoeira history and is working to make them available to the community.