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.
Morabeza
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Num leque radioso
Ceu di mindelo infeita'
Cu sê vistido luminoso
Ceu visti de azul
Bordado di oro
Mindelo de norte à sul
Gente di Mindelo
Nô abri nôs broce
Nô pô coraçon na mon
Pa nô bem da'l um abraço
Um abraço de morabeza
Dess povo de Sâo Vicente
Ess home de alma grande
Di rosto sabe e contente
The first two lines of Cesária Évora's song Morabeza set the scene with a stunning image of the rising sun, which is described as appearing like a radiant fan. The sky over the city of Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, is also portrayed as being decorated with bright clothing that reflects the light of the sun. This suggests that the people of Mindelo are just as vibrant and full of life as the natural world around them. In the following lines, Mindelo is depicted as a city draped in blue and gold, with everyone dressed in their finest clothing, decorated with flowers. There is a sense of pride and joy in these lines and a feeling of celebration, as if the community has come together to embrace their shared culture and identity.
The second half of the song focuses on the people of Mindelo themselves. They are described as welcoming and warm, with open hearts and a desire to embrace others. The phrase 'broce' can be translated as 'arms,' suggesting that they are literally opening their arms and hearts to those around them. The term 'morabeza' which is repeated in the refrain, refers to the Cape Verdean concept of hospitality, which is seen as central to the country's cultural identity. There is a sense that this sense of warmth and generosity is not just something that the people of Mindelo possess, but is emblematic of Cape Verde as a whole. It is this spirit of community, kindness, and hospitality that gives the people of Mindelo their joie de vivre.
Line by Line Meaning
Sol disponta'
The sun rises
Num leque radioso
In a radiant fan
Ceu di mindelo infeita'
Sky of Mindelo, unblemished
Cu sê vistido luminoso
With its luminous dress
Ceu visti de azul
Sky dressed in blue
Bordado di oro
Golden embroidery
Mindelo de norte à sul
Mindelo from north to south
Visti di gala e flor
Dressed in gala and flowers
Gente di Mindelo
People of Mindelo
Nô abri nôs broce
We open our arms
Nô pô coraçon na mon
We put our hearts in our hands
Pa nô bem da'l um abraço
To give them a hug for their wellbeing
Um abraço de morabeza
A hug of hospitality
Dess povo de Sâo Vicente
From the people of Sao Vicente
Ess home de alma grande
This man of great soul
Di rosto sabe e contente
With a face that knows contentment
Contributed by Stella A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Garri Glinarski
Навеки в наших сердцах! Браво Эвора!!!
EmmaGarMel
Linda canción, transporta a otro tiempo y a otro lugar. ¡Fantástica música, fantástica cantante!
anabethsu ELIB
HERMOSA VOZ DE CESAREA....
Daniel Santos
muito linda essa musica!! vontade de conhecer cabo verde!!!!
Ramiro Benitez
Viva por siempre la diva descalza
Hugo Dilernia
muy bella su voz me encanto,
Rosimery Alves
Seras sempre ouvida, esta musica evoca-me muita coisas e lenbranças boas ao lado da mulher que mais Amo nesse mundo que é a minha Avô 3
Ciro Dem
La. Musica. Italiana. E. Affascinante. Ma. Cesara. E ora. Farebbe. Impazzire. Tutto. Il. Popolo. Italiano
ANDRADE Denis
Deviennent tous des cons avec le nombre phi, poil au nez.