The word Aruanda is a mutation of the place-name Luanda, a place African slaves were stolen from and hoped one day to return to. In Capoeira songs, Aruanda has come to be associated with a sense of freedom that would come with returning home. Mestre Borracha has chosen Aruanda as the name for his Capoeira group because of his desire for his students to capture this sense of freedom in their game, and to be versatile and adaptable jogadores (players).