In 1995, Mestre Cobra Mansa together with Mestre Valmir Damasceno and Mestre Jurandir Nascimento founded FICA to preserve, promote, and research Capoeira Angola. The mission is supported by a dedicated community that maintains a school in the Howard University and Shaw neighborhood of Washington DC. Hosting yearly conferences and countless events that diffuse awareness for the rich history of capoeira and Afro-Brazilian culture, FICA DC remains central to a worldwide movement connecting practitioners across the US, Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Mozambique, and Russia among other nations.