Pencak Silat in Brazil

Peterson Menezes eagerly opens a glass cabinet showcasing his collection of kris, a unique blade from the Malay archipelago. His collection comes from various locations in Indonesia including Sumatra, Sulawesi, Cirebon, etc. Menezes also owns a variety of Silat weapons including karambit, kujang, golok – many of which he has handcrafted himself. He is not just a collector. When he picks up a karambit, his quick and fluid movements with the curved blade are as impressive as his collection.

Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest country in the world. It is a culturally diverse country due to immigration from Africa, Europe and Asia coupled with Brazil’s own indigenous origins. These factors unique to Brazil have created a vast range of different traditions, beliefs and even physical appearances. The Brazilian martial arts of capoeira and jiu jitsu are world-renowned. Although the origins of these two martial arts are not native to Brazil,  (Africa and Japan, respectively) they evolved into an art form that is uniquely Brazilian.

Menezes is the president of the Brazilian Pencak Silat Association. He has been studying Pencak Silat since he was around 10 years old. His introduction to the martial art came through a childhood friend who was the son of a half Indonesian Silat master named Sun Cai Chang. He began studying Pencak Silat from him which sparked his interest in Silat as well as martial arts in general. Although communication with the master was difficult as he didn’t speak Portuguese, he was able to learn quite a bit from him. Since Pencak Silat was otherwise non-existent in Brazil, Menezes also studied Wing Chun and developed a large following in Brazil. 

As he was training and teaching Wing Chun, his fascination for Silat remained. He studied with various Silat Masters including the American Silat Master Guru William Sanders. “Man, I really love the subject of Pencak Silat!” Menezes exclaimed. “I’m crazy about Pencak Silat. I am quite famous in Brazil for Wing Chun and I am also a master of Wing Chung. But what I really love is Pencak Silat”.

Although Silat has a strong presence in the neighboring country of Suriname, in Brazil, Silat is still very new. The federation was established earlier this year in April 2021. There are currently only a handful of Silat practitioners, like his good friend Luiz Metzker who trains in Pencak Silat Panglipur under Bang Cecep Rahman. “What is popular here is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu”, Menezes acknowledges.  “We are trying to spread Pencak Silat here.”

Indeed, Menezes has been sharing knowledge about Pencak Silat in Brazil for years. In 2014, he was featured in Jô Soares program, on the Globo Network, a national network that reaches millions of Brazilians and possesses great segmentation capacity thanks to its network of affiliates. José Eugênio Soares is a Brazilian comedian, talk show host similar to the Late Show with David Letterman. Menezes showcased Pencak Silat and its various weapons such as kerambit, kujang, kris and others to potentially millions of Brazilians watching the show. 

When asked about the future of Pencak Silat in Brazil, Menezes is more cautious than optimistic. “Having dozens of Pencak Silat schools in Brazil is not impossible, but right now very difficult”, he confessed. Menezes is also not excited about competitive Pencak Silat. “Sport Silat is good for youth and good to spread the message of Pencak Silat – to become popular. For marketing, it is very good”, Menezes admits. “However, my problem with the modern Pencak Silat is the loss of the essence of Pencak Silat. Pencak Silat is becoming just for show rather than real application. Silat is an old martial art. They should be more interested in preserving this old art than showing off. I don’t like that. Just my opinion”. 

For more information about Guru Peterson Menezes, you can view his website at http://www.silatbrasil.com.br