The Cape Verdean song about longing that has been sung by Madonna, Ivete and Marisa Monte

Cape Verde's song about nostalgia that has already been sung by Madonna, Ivete and Marisa Monte
In almost every World Cup, Brazilian fans adopt another country to take under their arm and cheer as if it were their own.
In this edition, it was the "Blue Sharks" who won the heart. Vozinha (Josimar Dias), pop goalkeeper, is there to tell the story.
The 40-year-old player started the tournament with just under 60 thousand followers. After a massive campaign by Brazilians on social media, it reaches the knockout stage against Argentina, this Friday (3), with around 18 million.
But the fact is that, even before the World Cup (and beyond football, which is certainly not our area here), the African archipelago of 10 islands called Cape Verde was already a huge success internationally... for its music.
And, in particular, for a song.
Cesária Évora sang the longing for the world
"Sodade" was re-recorded by Cesária Évora and released in 1992 on the album "Miss Perfumado"
Considered one of the most emblematic songs in Cape Verdean music, it is performed in Cape Verdean Creole and portrays the longing of those who leave their homeland: a feeling deeply linked to the history and identity of the archipelago.
The lyrics refer to the forced migration of thousands of Cape Verdeans during the colonial period, when they were sent to work in other parts of the Portuguese empire, especially in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Cape Verde only gained independence from Portugal in 1975, after almost five centuries of colonial rule.
Cesária Évora - "Sodade"
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Ken show-be es kaminhu lonje? (Who showed you this long path?)
Es kaminhu pa Santumé (This path to São Tomé)
Sodade, sodade (Longing, longing)
Sodade des nha térra Saniklau (Longing for my land São Nicolau)
Marisa Monte, Ivete and Madonna have already sung...
The strength of the track also appears in the list of artists who have performed the song over the years.
Marisa Monte had a close relationship with Cesária Évora and sang with the artist on different occasions, such as at Expo Lisboa, in 1998, and at a show at Ibirapuera, in December 2000, when Cesária was on her sixth visit to the country.
Marisa Monte and Cesária Evora. 1999.
Leo Aversa
Recently, in 2020, the American singer Madonna performed "Sodade" alongside Dino D'Santiago, at the Coliseu dos Recreios, during the "Madame Évora.
Disclosure
Ivete Sangalo paid tribute to Cesária Évora in Cape Verde, during the Baía das Gatas festival, in August 2024.
On the occasion, the Bahian singer declared herself to the country ("beautiful place, but the best is the people"), sang the hit and projected images of the artist on the screen, in a tribute to the singer.
Ivete Sangalo at a show in São Vicente, in Cape Verde, in August 2024.
Disclosure
Ivete Sangalo next to the statue of Césaria Évora, in Cape Verde.
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The message that comes from Cape Verde
More than three decades after its release, "Sodade" continues to cross generations and borders.
The track accumulates around 64 million plays on Spotify and continues to gain new versions and "covers" on social media, especially on Instagram and TikTok.
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Known as the "barefoot diva", Cesária Évora continues to influence new artists in the country, already established names in Brazilian music and great international divas.
Spokesperson of Cape Verdean culture, the singer who passed away in 2011, at the age of 70, helped spread "morna" throughout the world, a genre marked by a certain melancholy, by a certain longing...
A longing that Cape Verde's players are certainly feeling now, as they write a new chapter in the country's history thousands and thousands of kilometers from home.
Residents of Praia, capital of Cape Verde, celebrate the draw against Spain in the World Cup with flags from his country and one from Brazil, on June 15, 2026.
Danilson Sequeira/ Reuters

Source: G1