Mestre Moa do Katendê, born Romualdo Rosário da Costa in Salvador, Bahia on 29th October 1954 was a composer, percussionist, artesan, educator and mestre of Capoeria Angola. He is considered to be one of the most important Bahian Mestres.

Mestre Moa do Katendê began training Capoeira at the age of eight in his aunt’s terreiro, Ilê Axé Omin Bain. He won the song contest of Ilê Aiyê in 1977. He promote afoxé, known as the Candomblé of the street. In 1978 he founded the Badauê and in 1995 the friends of Katendê, Katendê being a way of converting leaves into medicine, a practice brought to Brazil through the Bantu people of western Africa.

Mestre Moa do Katendê was vocal in his opposition to Jair Bolsonaro’s government and declared that he would vote for his political rival, Fernando Haddad in the general election of 2018. Unfortunately, this led to his being stabbed 12 times by a fanatical supporter of Bolsonaro on 8th October 2018. He was interred in the Cemitério Quinta dos Lázaros on the 8th October 2022. On the 13th October, his family and friends gathered for a mass in his honour at the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosários dos Pretos.

Mestre Moa was taught by Mestre Bobó whose teacher was Mestre Pastinha.

His Legend

Mestre Moa do Katendê was preparing to create a space for the Dique Pequeno community in Salvador. According to people close to him, the construction of this community space was a dream of the late mestre. His family are in the process of constructing the Mestre Môa do Katendê institute within the Dique Pequeno community. The government are not involved in the construction of the institute and so it is being financed by other capoeira mestres and friends of Moa.

After his death, the documentary "Quem vai quebrar a máquina do mal?” (Who will destroy the machinery of evil?) was created under the direction of Carlos Pronzato. The film recounts the history of Mestre Moa through interviews with people who were close to him and testimonies of other victims of crime. Another documentary by the name of "Môa, Raiz Afro Mãe", directed by Gustavo McNair was produced before Mestre Moa’s death and is due to be released in October 2022. Besides the documentary, an album titled “Môa, Raiz Afro Mãe” which features music composed by Mestre Moa is due to be released the same year.