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.
Paraiso di Atlantico
Cesária Évora Lyrics
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Sumnho'd na mei d'Atlantico
Ses rama espaiode
Na mund inter
Cada folha e um fidjo querid'
Parti pa longe pa ventura'
Pa'um futur mas feliz e dignidade
Nos gent e um povo unid
Cabo Verde nos cantinho querido
Berco de amor e sodade
Paraiso di Atlantico
The lyrics of Paradiso Di Atlantico by Cesária Évora express a deep sense of pride and appreciation for Cabo Verde, an island country in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The song describes Cabo Verde as a lush tree, spanning across the world, with each leaf representing a beloved child who has left to seek a brighter future with dignity. The people of Cabo Verde are described as united, living in peace and with a sense of hospitality towards others.
The lyrics also touch upon the bittersweet feeling of homesickness experienced by those who have left Cabo Verde in search of a better life, but still hold a deep love and admiration for their homeland. The song acknowledges that Cabo Verde has its share of struggles and challenges, but ultimately remains a cherished corner of the earth marked by love and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Cabo Verde e um arv' frondoso
Cape Verde is a lush tree
Sumnho'd na mei d'Atlantico
Dreaming in the middle of the Atlantic
Ses rama espaiode
Its branches spread out
Na mund inter
In the middle of the world
Cada folha e um fidjo querid'
Each leaf is a dear child
Parti pa longe pa ventura'
It has gone far for adventure
Pa'um futur mas feliz e dignidade
For a happier and more dignified future
Nos gent e um povo unid
Our people are united
Na paz e morabeza
In peace and hospitality
Cabo Verde nos cantinho querido
Beloved corner of Cape Verde
Berco de amor e sodade
Cradle of love and longing
Paraiso di Atlantico
Paradise of the Atlantic
Writer(s): Manuel De Novas
Contributed by Jonathan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.