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Cape Verde's exploits in the World Cup brought new attention to the culture of the West African island nation. It's where the vocalist Cesaria Evora once brought her country's music to the world. She opened doors for generations of female musicians. Today, a new wave of artists carries that legacy forward. From Cape Verde, Ricci Shryock reports.
SAMBAIANA: (Singing in non-English language).
RICCI SHRYOCK: Singing over the wind and waves, the seven-woman Brazilian samba group Sambaiana traces a musical connection that stretches across the Atlantic. For vocalist and guitarist Rayra Mayara, performing in Cape Verde carries special meaning.
RAYRA MAYARA: The music of Brazil is music from African roots.
(SOUNDBITE OF RHYTHMIC CLAPPING)
MAYARA: Bop-bop, boom-boom, bop-bop, boom-boom. Bop-bop, boom-boom.
SHRYOCK: From the streets to the shorelines, music is everywhere in this island nation. Walking through a narrow alleyway in the capital, Praia, the sound of musicians rehearsing drifts from an open window above. Among them is singer/songwriter, local superstar Fattu Djakite.
FATTU DJAKITE: (Singing in non-English language).
SHRYOCK: Djakite describes her music as a reflection of Cape Verde's Creole identity, blending influences from Africa and beyond.
DJAKITE: My songs is about mixing these cultures and with a lot of influence of African sounds, jazz, blues.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SHRYOCK: Cape Verde's location at the crossroads of Africa, Europe and the Americas has shaped a rich musical tradition. Artists here draw from multiple influences while creating sounds uniquely their own.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SODADE")
CESARIA EVORA: (Singing in non-English language).
SHRYOCK: And no musician has done more to share those sounds with the world than Cesaria Evora, who died in 2011 at the age of 70.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SODADE")
EVORA: (Singing in non-English language).
SHRYOCK: Her international success, says longtime producer Jose Da Silva, changed what was possible for women musicians back home.
JOSE DA SILVA: Here, in Cape Verde, in the past, you don't have a lot of women singing because it's not for the family. It's not nice to have a woman to sing.
SHRYOCK: Today, Da Silva says her impact extends far beyond music itself.
DA SILVA: With the success of Cesaria, something changed. And now in Cape Verde, the woman's a leader in the music.
SHRYOCK: Today, that legacy lives on in a new generation of musicians.
(SOUNDBITE OF PIANO PLAYING)
SHRYOCK: At just 16, pianist Alicia Freitas hopes to represent Cape Verde on the world stage and inspire more young women to pursue music.
ALICIA FREITAS: This is a way for me to represent my country, my nation, to the world, and I hope I get, as well, to inspire other young people like me.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SHRYOCK: Across these Atlantic islands, the spirit of Cesaria Evora lives on, as a new generation finds its own voice.
For NPR News, Ricci Shryock, Praia.
(SOUNDBITE OF CESARIA EVORA SONG, "SODADE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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