Cape Verde

If you haven’t had the distinct pleasure of hearing a song sung by Cesária Évora, you’ll need to get on that. Born in colonial Cape Verde and known as the Barefoot Diva, Cesária came to international fame after the age of 50, in a business that values youthful beauty and malleability above all else. She had a voice that expressed passion and melancholy in equal measure, and developed fans all over the world. The strong willed, fiercely independent singer passed away in 2011, but her legacy lives on. Filmmaker Ana Sofia Fonseca has released a new documentary on her life and career at SXSW 2022 called Cesária Évora. It is the result of spending years pulling together never-before-seen recordings, images, and footage representing Cesária’s personal life and her early days as a performer in the clubs of Cape Verde.