More than 12 hours away as the Airbus A380 flies is Brazil. The land of samba, football, carnival and frilly drinks is the symbol of all that is exotic, and the giant statue of Cristo Redentor atop the Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro welcomes all those who seek adventure – and who have the time and money to visit.

But for the less fortunate, fear not as this summer, Brazil is heading your way with Malta’s very first Brazilfest.

Being held from July 4-7, Brazilfest will incorporate the most fundamental traditions and customs of the Brazilian culture into four days packed with activities and events for all to see and participate in.

From fire shows to samba and acrobatic performances, the event will allow participants to indulge in the vibrancy of the Brazilian way of life, while focusing on one particular tradition that wholly embodies the Brazilian culture – capoeira. Through a series of performances and workshops, Brazilfest will allow capoeiristas to showcase their skills. And if you don’t have the skills, then you can participate in workshops being held during the festival and acquire some nifty skills.

The martial art of capoeira first originated from the African slaves who were brought over to Brazil when this was still a Portuguese colony. Its roots stretch as far back as the 16th century and it is believed that the slaves working on the sugarcane farms created capoeira as a form of defence for those who tried to escape from their oppressors.

João Paulo Ramalhol, founder of Capoeira Nagô Malta, the first capoeira school in Malta, explains how capoeira was not always used in a positive way. With the end of slavery in the 19th century, many slaves found themselves without work and started to use their capoeira skills to carry out dubious work for criminals. As a result, capoeira eventually became illegal in Brazil due to its association with the criminal underworld.

Despite this, some people started practising and promoting capoeira on the streets of Brazil and the prohibition of capoeira was eventually removed – today capoeira has become an international sport, hobby and profession.

One of the most important people in the history of capoeira is Mestre Bimba who, together with Cisnando Lima, began the first form of organised capoeira training. Bimba’s father was a batuque champion – batuque is an extinct African form of martial arts and it is believed that Bimba incorporated some of the batuque techniques into the old capoeira style to create what is now known as capoeira regional. Bimba founded the first school in 1932 – to enrol, students had to have a work permit and show proof of good school grading, thus eliminating capoeira’s undesirable criminal reputation.

“After that, capoeira kept growing,” João Paulo adds. He explains that nowadays capoeira has become more expressive, using a lot of stretching incorporated in the kicks, and capoeiristas follow more of a sequence than they did in the past.

Also known as “Professor Alf”, Ramalhol explains that he started practising capoeira 20 years ago.

“I got addicted to it and started travelling around Brazil as a capoeira student, meeting different masters. After that I started organising my own lessons in Brazil. The school became one of the larger ones and now has over 300 students.”

The most basic step in capoeira is the ginga, which is a movement from right to left. Students then go on to learn different sequences, against the backdrop of live Afro-Brazilian music, most often in the form of drums or a tambourine such as the pandeiro, or the traditional Brazilian single-string percussion instrument, called the berimbau. Ramalhol explains that the rhythm of the music is what leads the capoeirista’s movements.

“Capoeira is a combination of dance, martial arts and music,” he adds. “Just like our lives, capoeira is always changing, so you always have something new to learn every day. Through capoeira, you can start to learn more about your own body.”

In fact, capoeira also packs health benefits – João Paulo explains that capoeiristas can burn up to 800 calories per lesson, using just their body weight.

Opened just five years ago, the Capoeira Nagô Malta school offers beginner and advanced capoeira classes every day, for children and adults alike. Capoeira Nagô Malta is part of Capoeira Nagô, an international capoeira group headed by Mestre Pequinês. Students can progress from one level to another through examinations, with the lowest level being a white belt and the highest being a black belt.

Students can even participate in worldwide competitions – these are judged by five masters from the Nagô community. In fact, Luke Camilleri, nicknamed “Esquilo”, placed second in an international tournament held in Italy in 2011.

International workshops will also be taking place over the summer, and the date of Brazilfest has been set to coincide with a sequence of workshops being held worldwide. During Brazilfest, people will have the opportunity to participate in a unique workshop with Mestre Pequinês himself. There will also be a Batizado e Troca de Cordas which is a traditional annual event that welcomes baptizes, new capoeiristas.

“Capoeira isn’t just a sport,” says João Paulo. “It’s a community where people can work and support each other, while having fun, and getting fit.”

For more information visit www.brazilfestmalta.com.