Tag: Cape Verde Diva

“Angola” by Cesária Évora

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great Music, Great PeopleLeave a comment
The album titled 'Cesaria Evora'
The album titled ‘Cesaria Evora’

We talked about Fortaleza de São Miguel in Luanda, Angola, a major slave fort of Angola which today has been turned into a museum and stood the test of times, and show the resilience of the Angolan people and their love of life in spite of adversities. Cesária Évora, the barefoot diva, Cape Verde’s national diva sang “Angola.” As this fortress, she had a breakthrough after years of disappointment, she never gave up. She exemplified endurance, strength, confidence, and perseverance. Just like her song “Angola” is a tribute to the wisdom, resilience, joy, and cultural strength of the Angolan people, celebrating how they endure hardship, war, and colonial trauma while still finding community, patience, and pleasure in life. It’s like a mirror of her life, as if Cesária is singing of her life, and of the beautiful country of Angola, and the resilience of its people.

The repeated line “Angóla, Angóla, oi, ke pove sábe” means: “Angola, Angola, oh, what a wise people.” This is the emotional anchor of the song. She is praising: Angolan wisdom, Angolan strength, Angolan endurance through the civil war which devastated their country and live, Angolan cultural richness, and joy.

Flag of Angola
Flag of Angola

The song emphasizes that Angolans have endured wars, colonial violence, and hardship, yet remain strong and united. Words like konvivénsia (coexistence), pasiénsia (patience), and rezisténsia (resistance) reinforce this.

The line, “Es vida sábe ke nhos ta vivê / Paródia dia i note manxê, sen maka ma ku sabura” celebrate living life intensely, to the fullest, dancing, laughing, enjoying community, even through life’s difficulties.

Cesaria Evora: the Barefoot Diva– the Love of Cape Verde

On By Dr. Y.In Great Art, Great People1 Comment

Cesaria Evora
Cesaria Evora

I was quite shocked to learn of the ‘passing’ of Cesaria Evora… It hurts… the barefoot diva, the lady who sang ‘sodade‘ and ‘Angola‘, is no longer. The lady who started singing in her later days, and gained stardomship at the age of 50+, the lady who always performed barefoot on stage is no longer. She exemplified endurance and perseverance. Someone else could have given up… someone else could have said ‘there is no point singing, if I can barely make a living’. She knew all of that, but she also knew that she had a gift for singing and bringing the morna (Cape Verde music) to the international scene. She sang, and went on worldwide tours in her late 60s… giving concerts, etc… at an age when most people would have retired. She was truly an example of strength, confidence, endurance and perseverance. Her life was really all about endurance!

The album titled 'Cesaria Evora'
The album titled 'Cesaria Evora'

She lost her dad at the age of 7, and was placed in an orphanage at the age of 10 by her mother who could not raise all her 6 children.  She started singing at the age of 16 in a sailors’ tavern. She won international acclaim for her album ‘La Diva aux Pieds Nus‘ in 1988, and the album ‘Miss Perfumado‘ released in 1992 sealed her international aura.  In 1997, she won the Kora All African Music Awards for best Artist of West Africa, Best Album, and Merit of Jury.  In 2004, came the Grammy in the world category (such a silly category… mixing musicians from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America in one pot… unthinkable) for her album ‘Voz D’Amor‘. Keep singing, and check out her website Cesaria Evora, a video biography on BBC, An article by the Guardian newspaper, USA Today, NY Times, LA Times, So long Cesaria, we will keep singing ‘sodade‘ and dancing the morna, praising ‘Angola‘ and ‘Cabo Verde.’