Culture of Cape Verde
Encyclopedia
The culture
of Cape Verde
features literature including Claridade
, Negrume and others and writers including Sergio Frusoni
, Manuel Lopes
, Ovídio Martins
and more. The culture also has music proprieties including morna
, funaná
, coladera
, tabanka and more. Cesária Évora
, Tcheka
and other Capeverdean singers throughout the world.
The culture of Cape Verde reflects its mixed African and Portuguese roots. It is well known for its diverse forms of music such as Morna and a wide variety of dances: the soft dance Morna, and its modernized version, passada, the Funaná
- a sensual mixed African and Portuguese dance, the extreme sensuality of coladeira, and the Batuque
dance. These are reflective of the diverse origins of Cape Verde's residents. The term "Criolo" is used to refer to residents as well as the culture of Cape Verde.
Cape Verdean literature is one of the richest of Lusitanian Africa.
usually sung in the Cape Verdean Creole, accompanied by clarinet
, violin
, guitar
and cavaquinho
. The islands also feature native genres such as funaná
, batuque
coladeira and mazurka
.
Cesária Évora
is perhaps the best internationally-known practitioner of morna
. She has achieved worldwide fame, counting in her fans many famous people, such as Madonna and Julio Iglesias.
, and other games like uril.
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
of Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
features literature including Claridade
Claridade
Claridade was a literary review inaugurated in 1936 in the city of Mindelo on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde. It was part of a movement of cultural, social, and political emancipations of the Capeverdean society...
, Negrume and others and writers including Sergio Frusoni
Sergio Frusoni
Sergio Frusoni was a poet and promoter of the Cape Verdean Creole language.-Biography:...
, Manuel Lopes
Manuel Lopes
Manuel António de Sousa Lopes was a Cape Verdean novelist, poet and essayist and a founder of modern Cape Verdean literature. With Baltasar Lopes da Silva and Jorge Barbosa he was a creator of the paper named Claridade...
, Ovídio Martins
Ovídio Martins
Ovídio de Sousa Martins was a famous Cape Verdean poet and journalist. He lived in exile in the Netherlands due to his pro-independence activities in his native land.-Books:*Caminhada, 1962 – Poemas...
and more. The culture also has music proprieties including morna
Morna
The morna is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde.Lyrics are usually in Cape Verdean Creole, and instrumentation often includes cavaquinho, clarinet, accordion, violin, piano and guitar...
, funaná
Funana
The Funaná is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde. Funaná is an accordion-based music. It is perhaps the most upbeat form of Cape Verdean music...
, coladera
Coladera
- As a music genre :As a music genre the coladeira is characterized by having a variable tempo, from allegro to andante, a 2-beat bar, and in its most traditional form by having an harmonic structure based in a cycle of fifths, while the lyrics structure is organized in strophes that alternate with...
, tabanka and more. Cesária Évora
Cesária Évora
Cesária Évora is a Cape Verdean popular singer. Nicknamed the "barefoot diva" for performing without shoes, Évora is perhaps the best internationally known practitioner of "morna."-Early life:...
, Tcheka
Tcheka
Tcheka is a capeverdean singer, songwriter and guitarist, who is well-known for his work in modernising Batuque. -BiographyExternal links:* * *...
and other Capeverdean singers throughout the world.
The culture of Cape Verde reflects its mixed African and Portuguese roots. It is well known for its diverse forms of music such as Morna and a wide variety of dances: the soft dance Morna, and its modernized version, passada, the Funaná
Funana
The Funaná is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde. Funaná is an accordion-based music. It is perhaps the most upbeat form of Cape Verdean music...
- a sensual mixed African and Portuguese dance, the extreme sensuality of coladeira, and the Batuque
Batuque (music)
The batuque is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde.- As a music genre :As a music genre, the batuque is characterized by having an andante tempo, a 6/8 or 3/4 measure and traditionally it is just melodic, i.e., it is just sung, it has no polyphonic accompaniment...
dance. These are reflective of the diverse origins of Cape Verde's residents. The term "Criolo" is used to refer to residents as well as the culture of Cape Verde.
Cape Verdean literature
- Poets: Frusoni Sergio, Tavares Eugénio B. Léza, João Cleofas MartinsJoão Cleófas MartinsJoão Cleofas Martins was a Capeverdean photographer and author. His father came from the island of Brava and he lived most of his live in Mindelo on the island of São Vicente....
, Luís Romano de Madeira MeloLuís Romano de Madeira MeloLuís Romano de Madeira Melo was a bilingual poet, novelist, and folklorist who has written in Portuguese and the Capeverdean Crioulo of Santo Antão....
, Ovídio MartinsOvídio MartinsOvídio de Sousa Martins was a famous Cape Verdean poet and journalist. He lived in exile in the Netherlands due to his pro-independence activities in his native land.-Books:*Caminhada, 1962 – Poemas...
, Barbosa Jorge, Fortes Corsino António, Baltasar Lopes (Osvaldo Alcântara), João VárioJoão VárioJoão Vário was a Cape Verdean writer, neurosurgeon, scientist and professor. The name was a pseudonym of João Manuel Varela. Other aliases included Timóteo Tio Tiofe and G. T. Didial.He studied medicine in the universities of Coimbra and Lisbon...
, Oswaldo Osório, Arménio VieiraArménio VieiraArménio Adroaldo Vieira e Silva is a Cape Verdean and a Portuguese journalist. He elemented an activity during the 1960s, collaborated in SELÓ, Boletim de Cabo Verde, Vértice review, Raízes, Ponto & Vírgula, Fragmentos, and others....
, Vadinho Velhinho, José Luís Tavares, Carlos Baptista, etc. - Authors: Manuel LopesManuel LopesManuel António de Sousa Lopes was a Cape Verdean novelist, poet and essayist and a founder of modern Cape Verdean literature. With Baltasar Lopes da Silva and Jorge Barbosa he was a creator of the paper named Claridade...
, Henrique Teixeira de SousaHenrique Teixeira de SousaHenrique Teixeira de Sousa was a doctor and author from Cape Verde.-Biography:...
, Almeida Germano, Luís Romano de Madeira MeloLuís Romano de Madeira MeloLuís Romano de Madeira Melo was a bilingual poet, novelist, and folklorist who has written in Portuguese and the Capeverdean Crioulo of Santo Antão....
, Germano de Almeida, Orlanda AmarílisOrlanda AmarílisOrlanda Amarílis Lopes Rodrigues Fernandes Ferreira, known as Orlanda Amarílis , is a Cape Verdean writer...
, Jorge Vera Cruz Barbosa, Pedro Cardoso, Mário José Domingues, Daniel Filipe, Mário Alberto Fonseca de Almeida, Corsino António Fortes, Arnaldo Carlos de Vasconcelos França, António Aurélio Gonçalves, Aguinaldo Brito Fonseca, Ovídio de Sousa Martins, Osvaldo Osório, Dulce Almada Duarte, Manuel Veiga - Poems in Portuguese: Cape Verdean Poems, Poesia
- Cape Verdean Literature
- Sopinha de Alfabeto
- Famous tales: Ti Lobo and Chibinho
Music
Cape Verde is known internationally for morna, a form of folk musicFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
usually sung in the Cape Verdean Creole, accompanied by clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and cavaquinho
Cavaquinho
The cavaquinho is a small string instrument of the European guitar family with four wire or gut strings. It is also called machimbo, machim, machete , manchete or marchete, braguinha or braguinho, or cavaco.The most common tuning is D-G-B-D ; other tunings include D-A-B-E...
. The islands also feature native genres such as funaná
Funana
The Funaná is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde. Funaná is an accordion-based music. It is perhaps the most upbeat form of Cape Verdean music...
, batuque
Batuque (music)
The batuque is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde.- As a music genre :As a music genre, the batuque is characterized by having an andante tempo, a 6/8 or 3/4 measure and traditionally it is just melodic, i.e., it is just sung, it has no polyphonic accompaniment...
coladeira and mazurka
Mazurka
The mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
.
Cesária Évora
Cesária Évora
Cesária Évora is a Cape Verdean popular singer. Nicknamed the "barefoot diva" for performing without shoes, Évora is perhaps the best internationally known practitioner of "morna."-Early life:...
is perhaps the best internationally-known practitioner of morna
Morna
The morna is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde.Lyrics are usually in Cape Verdean Creole, and instrumentation often includes cavaquinho, clarinet, accordion, violin, piano and guitar...
. She has achieved worldwide fame, counting in her fans many famous people, such as Madonna and Julio Iglesias.
Games
Several games are played regularly in common meeting places such as squares. These are a strong form of social interaction, and sometimes originate informal tournaments that draw the public's attention. Among these games are several card games such as bisca and txintxonTxintxon
Chinchón is a matching card game played in Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, Cape Verde and other places. It is a close variant of Gin Rummy , with which it shares the same objective: making sets — groups or runs — of matching cards.The name is spelled Txintxon in Basque and in Cape Verdean creole...
, and other games like uril.