Cesaria Evora's "Angola"

The Cape Verdean barefoot diva, Cesaria Evora, sings a song by a presumably Angolan composer. As a Cape Verdean, there is likely some kinship with Angola as fellow former Portuguese colonies in Africa, and the Cape Verdean Creole language is itself a mixture of African languages and Portuguese, perhaps another contribution to feelings of kinship between the two Lusophone nations. Interestingly, the Portuguese influence in "Angola," the name for the country deriving from ngola, a title for the rulers of one Bantu-speaking group in modern-day Angola, is self-evident from the "Moorish" or North African influence in the piano vamp and guitar lines. Cape Verde and Angola, as former Portuguese colonies, likely incorporated aspects of Portuguese and Iberian music generally through centuries of colonialism and cultural contact in Africa that is predated by centuries of contact between North African Arabs, Berbers and others with local Iberian populations in Europe. Thus, the cultural heritage of "Angola" and that of Cape Verde extends back to Moorish-ruled Iberia, the development of Iberian musical forms such as the flamenco and North African/Middle-Eastern-tinged and centuries of West and Central African polyrhythms, vocal styles, and instruments fusing with Iberian instruments and styles. Like the music of Latin America, Cape Verdean morna and other genres reflects this cultural mestizaje and the shared influences would almost make one think "Angola" is from Brazil or the Caribbean. Nevertheless, the stellar combination of African and European influences led to a beautiful child of new, intriguing music with infectious rhythms and Iberian guitar and melodies, African polyrhythms and inflections through the Creole language. Here and this is a live version. Check Angelique Kidjo's interesting live interpretation here for a lively rendition. "Angola, Angola!"

Ess vida sabe qu'nhôs ta vivê
Parodia dia e note manché
Sem maca ma cu sabura
Angola angola
Oi qu'povo sabe
Ami nhos ca ta matá-me
'M bem cu hora pa'me ba nha caminho
Ess convivência dess nhôs vivência
Paciência dum consequência
Resistência dum estravagância