Waldemar Bastos
Encyclopedia
Waldemar dos Santos Alonso de Almeida Bastos (born January 4, 1954, São Salvador do Congo
, Portuguese Angola) is an Angola
n musician
who combines Afropop
, Portuguese (fado
), and Brazilian influences.
) from black parents who were both nurses. He started singing at a very early age using his father instruments. After the independence of Angola in 1975 due to the events of the Carnation Revolution
in Lisbon
, at the age of 28 he fled the People's Republic of Angola
for Portugal
. He emigrated to Portugal in order to escape the civil war
between the Marxist MPLA - Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
regime and the Western-backed UNITA - National Union for Total Independence of Angola.
M'banza-Kongo
M'banza-Kongo , is the capital of Angola's northwestern Zaire Province. M'banza Kongo was founded some time before the arrival of the Portuguese and was the capital of the dynasty ruling at that time...
, Portuguese Angola) is an Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who combines Afropop
Afropop
Afropop or Afro-pop may refer to:*African popular music*Afropop Worldwide, a weekly radio program from Public Radio International...
, Portuguese (fado
Fado
Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
), and Brazilian influences.
History
He was born in the Portuguese Overseas Province of Angola's town of São Salvador do Congo (now M'banza-KongoM'banza-Kongo
M'banza-Kongo , is the capital of Angola's northwestern Zaire Province. M'banza Kongo was founded some time before the arrival of the Portuguese and was the capital of the dynasty ruling at that time...
) from black parents who were both nurses. He started singing at a very early age using his father instruments. After the independence of Angola in 1975 due to the events of the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, at the age of 28 he fled the People's Republic of Angola
People's Republic of Angola
The People's Republic of Angola was a self-declared socialist state that was established in 1975 after it was granted independence from Portugal, akin to the situation in Mozambique. The newly-founded nation enjoyed friendly relations with the Soviet Union, Cuba, and the People's Republic of...
for Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. He emigrated to Portugal in order to escape the civil war
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
between the Marxist MPLA - Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Labour Party is a political party that has ruled Angola since the country's independence from Portugal in 1975...
regime and the Western-backed UNITA - National Union for Total Independence of Angola.
Discography
- Estamos Juntos (EMI Records Ltd., 1983)
- Angola Minha Namorada (EMI Portugal, 1989)
- Pitanga Madura (EMI Portugal, 1992)
- Pretaluz [blacklight] (Luaka Bop, 1997)
- Renascence (World Connection, 2004)
- Love Is Blindness (2008)