Album Notes

The songs of intervention, protest and struggle have a long tradition in the Capeverdian music.

Many of these songs relate to the long history of anti-colonial struggle and several Capeverdian and Portuguese situations and personalities are satirised.

Other songs that have come out after the independence used to criticise the only party regime and the inherent democratic limitations, but even in the situation of free elections some poets and musicians can still find reasons for dissatisfaction leading them to express, through this form of art, the rebellion they sense behind particular situations.

Additionally, there are also songs of solidarity with other people submitted to oppressive regimes.

Despite its undeniable musical quality and remarkable political content, many of these songs did not reach the wider Capeverdian or Portuguese audiences, due to being composed and maintained in secrecy for the sake of their authors’ safety. Only a restrict circle of militants and sympathizers of the defended causes were able to access them, while being composed or recorded.

The approach, focusing on current affairs, led to the automatic selection of musical themes on Timor-Leste (“Ask Xanana”) and “SAHARAWI”, a song in support to the Western Sahara occupied by Morocco since 1975.

The CD Contains a 28 pages booklet with the story of the independence struggle.