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.
Parceria E Irmandade
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ma Africa é nôs irmã
Asia e mundo inter
Ta merecê nôs morabeza
Morabeza, moeda sem tróca
El ê sangue, el ca ê pitrol
Ê nôs sorrise de felecidade
Parceria e irmandade
Ê ca d'nher ê ca riqueza
Ê dôs bónc' d'universidade
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
Parceria e irmandade
Ê ca d'nher ê ca riqueza
Ê dôs bónc' d'universidade
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
E assim na nôs humildade
Nô tem paz, nô ta vivê f'liz
Nô t'infrentá nôs realidade
C'pê na terra e alma na corpo
Parceria e irmandade
Ê ca d'nher ê ca riqueza
Ê dôs bónc' d'universidade
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
...
Nô qu'rê Europa como parcêr
Ma Africa é nôs irmã
Asia e mundo inter
Ta merecê nôs morabeza
Morabeza, moeda sem tróca
El ê sangue, el ca ê pitrol
Ê nôs sorrise de felecidade
El ê nôs lágrima d'sodade
Parceria e irmandade
Ê ca d'nher ê ca riqueza
Ê dôs bónc' d'universidade
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
Parceria e irmandade
Ê ca d'nher ê ca riqueza
Ê dôs bónc' d'universidade
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
E assim na nôs humildade
Nô tem paz, nô ta vivê f'liz
Nô t'infrentá nôs realidade
C'pê na terra e alma na corpo
Parceria e irmandade
Ê ca d'nher ê ca riqueza
Ê dôs bónc' d'universidade
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
Parceria e irmandade
Ê ca d'nher ê ca riqueza
Ê dôs bónc' d'universidade
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
Cesaria Evora's song "Parceria E Irmandade" talks about the relationship between Africa and the rest of the world. The first few lines of the song emphasize the fact that while Africa considers the rest of the world as partners, it still regards them as brothers and sisters. The song goes on to describe "morabeza" (Cape Verdean Creole for hospitality and kindness), which is likened to a currency that cannot be exchanged. This suggests that Africa's generosity and warmth cannot be reciprocated, and it is a unique quality that should be cherished.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of partnership and brotherhood, as opposed to wealth and riches. In terms of education, the song suggests that Africa should learn from universities across the world in order to tackle poverty. The song further emphasizes the idea that it is through humility that true peace and happiness are found. Finally, the song concludes with a repetition of the chorus, suggesting that the message of brotherhood and partnership is essential.
Line by Line Meaning
Nô qu'rê Europa como parcêr
We don't want Europe as our partner
Ma Africa é nôs irmã
But Africa is our sister
Asia e mundo inter
Asia and the whole world deserve our hospitality
Ta merecê nôs morabeza
They deserve our warmth and hospitality
Morabeza, moeda sem tróca
Warmth and hospitality cannot be bought or traded
El ê sangue, el ca ê pitrol
It's our blood, not oil
Ê nôs sorrise de felecidade
It's our smile of happiness
El ê nôs lágrima d'sodade
It's our tears of longing
Parceria e irmandade
Partnership and brotherhood
Ê ca d'nher ê ca riqueza
It's not about money or wealth
Ê dôs bónc' d'universidade
It's about the good of education and knowledge
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
To learn how to deal with our poverty
E assim na nôs humildade
And in our humility
Nô tem paz, nô ta vivê f'liz
We have peace, we live happily
Nô t'infrentá nôs realidade
We face our reality
C'pê na terra e alma na corpo
With our feet on the ground and our souls in our bodies
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
To learn how to deal with our poverty
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
To learn how to deal with our poverty
Pa nô prendê lidá c'nôs pobreza
To learn how to deal with our poverty
Contributed by Ryan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Татьяна Гулякина
Душа просто радуется жизни! Жаль, что уже без Сезарии...
Αμαλια Δαμιανου
.....once in a lifetime .....came in planet earth such great voices
Mary E.
Voz do ceu - vaia com Deus Cesaria e descanse em paz:(
Régis Cardoso
a nossa rainha dos pés descalços tas sempre connosco vais permanecer eterna no nosso coração
катерина к
Как я люблю ее!
Sevdah Treasure
What a singer!
Valu Maria
IMÁDOM!! 👆👋👏💕💕💕
alekos01
sencillamente maravilloso,
Олег Колбенев
Rest in Peace, Sweet Cize!
Giuseppe Tecce
Grande Cesaria...sei sempre qui con noi, a farci compagnia!