Born on the 27th August 1941 in the port town of Mindelo, Cape Verde, on the island of São Vicente. Long known as the queen of the morna, a soulful genre (related to the Portuguese fado) sung in Creole-Portuguese, she mixed her sentimental folk tunes filled with longing and sadness with the acoustic sounds of guitar, cavaquinho, violin, accordion, and clarinet. Évora's Cape Verdean blues often spoke of the country's history of isolation and slave trade, as well as emigration; almost two-thirds of the million Cape Verdeans alive live abroad.
Évora's voice, a finely-tuned, melancholy instrument with a touch of hoarseness, highlighted her emotional phrasing by accenting a word or phrase. Even audiences who do not understand her language could be held spell-bound by the emotions evident in her performances.
In 2004 she won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.
A heavy smoker for decades, Évora was diagnosed with heart problems in 2005. She suffered strokes in 2008 and in September 2011, when she announced she was retiring. She died at the age of seventy in São Vicente, Cape Verde on the 17th December 2011 from respiratory failure and hypertension. A Spanish newspaper reported that forty-eight hours before her death she was still receiving people in her home in Mindelo, popular for always having its doors open.
Cumpade Ciznone
Cesária Évora Lyrics
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Uns cose 'stronhe li na nôs terra
Tonte mudança tità contecé
Qu'até Monte Cara ja gaguejà
Ilheo dos passe ta tremê c'medo
Credo na mister Cumpade Ciznone
Dia d'nôs m'nine ma nôs amdjer
Ja ta riscode de nôs calendar
E medo é medo dum terramoto
Democracia ca ta comprode
Na Sucupira nem plurim
C'sentimento d'povo ca ta brincode
Ca nô mexê c'nos tradiçao
Estoria d' nôs terra
Es qu'rê cambal
Na esquecimento
The lyrics to Cesária Évora's song Cumpade Ciznone speak about strange occurrences happening on the singer's homeland of Cape Verde. With daily changes happening, even the Monte Cara mountain seems to be stuttering in fear. The Ilheo dos passe, a rocky outcrop off the coast, trembles in fear at the presence of the mysterious Cumpade Ciznone. The people's sense of security is being threatened as their familiar way of life is starting to vanish. The fear of a potential earthquake also exhibits the feelings of apprehension and lack of control over the unknown.
Furthermore, the lyrics express a sense of political instability and uncertainty as well. The idea of democracy is not being fully embraced, and there is a sense of distrust towards people from other countries (Sucupira reference). Additionally, the people's traditional culture and ways of life are not being respected or considered in the midst of these sociopolitical changes. The song seems to be relaying a warning about the potential consequences of disregarding the natural and cultural legacy of a place.
Overall, Cesária Évora's Cumpade Ciznone reflects the singer's concerns about the changes and unknowns that her homeland of Cape Verde is facing, both politically and environmentally.
Line by Line Meaning
Quase tudo dia tità 'contecé
Strange things happen almost every day
Uns cose 'stronhe li na nôs terra
Some strange things happen in our land
Tonte mudança tità contecé
Sudden changes happen often
Qu'até Monte Cara ja gaguejà
Even Monte Cara stutters
Ilheo dos passe ta tremê c'medo
The Island of the Dead shakes in fear
Credo na mister Cumpade Ciznone
We believe in the mysterious Cumpade Ciznone
Dia d'nôs m'nine ma nôs amdjer
Our children and women are at risk
Ja ta riscode de nôs calendar
Our calendar is at risk
Trabalbador es ca' mexê's
Workers cannot move
E medo é medo dum terramoto
And fear is like that of an earthquake
Democracia ca ta comprode
Democracy is not for sale
Na Sucupira nem plurim
Not even in Sucupira
C'sentimento d'povo ca ta brincode
The feelings of the people are not a joke
Ca nô mexê c'nos tradiçao
We don't mess with our traditions
Estoria d' nôs terra
The history of our land
Es qu'rê cambal
Needs to change
Na esquecimento
Before it's forgotten
Contributed by Mateo D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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