2007年VOA标准英语-Cape Verdean Singer Reflects on Island's Talent

By Phuong Tran
Praia, Cape¹ Verde
15 April 2007

When people talk about Cape Verdean music, it is inevitable² they mention Cesaria Evora, the singer who introduced many to the country's melancholic³ music known as morna. Some have said that singer Tete Alinho is the island country's next Cesaria. Phuong Tran talks to Alinho at her cliffside home in the capital of Cape Verde where the singer shares her thoughts about why the tiny volcanic⁴ archipelago west of Africa has produced such enormous talent, and why so many islanders have had to leave.

From her seaside home painted in deep shades of blue and orange that reflect Cape Verde's year-round sun and coastal⁵ waters, Tete Alinho, 54, can see fishermen hook their catches.

Singer Tete Alinho's seaside view in Cape Verde

She says these rhythms of sea and wind inspire her music, especially the songs islanders call morna, which is sad-sounding music that often describes how immigrants miss home.

"This is one song that used to tell that Dakar, Lisbon, Holland, Angola [were] not the solution of our problems," said Alinho. "Cape Verdeans all the time want to leave and go abroad because they were farmers. They were men of the fields. And with all the problems with rain, [droughts], they have no work on the fields."

Severe drought has led to massive waves of immigration that have sent hundreds of thousands overseas to look for work.

That helps explain why today there are more Cape Verdeans living overseas than on the islands.

"Dia c'Tchuva Bem is a very special song with very special words," she said. "I have written these words about the rain. Because rain is very important for Cape Verdeans. The rhythm expressed exactly the relationship between Cape Verdeans, and the land and the rain."

Much of the country's nine inhabited islands is still barren volcanic rock. There are few natural resources, which is why the singer says creativity comes naturally.

Speaking in her native Portuguese⁶, Alinho says because Cape Verde is poor, people learn to create what nature did not provide.

Singer Tete Alinho's CDs on display in area shop in Praia, Cape Verde

She says one reason there are so many musicians in Cape Verde is because the children who learn to make their own toys grow into adults who continue to create their own entertainment.

But she says most people outside of Cape Verde have probably not heard of most Cape Verdean singers because it is expensive to promote music outside of Cape Verde.

She says it is even difficult to promote music in Cape Verde because people do not want to pay for it.

"When they have to pay for a CD [compact disc] or a concert, 'Oh, it is too expensive.' In Cape Verde, this is not a market that justifies⁷ what we do," she added. "People begin to [value] a little more our culture and to give a little more importance. But it is a long process. It will take a lot of time."

Alinho says the gradual change is partly a result of islanders seeing how much people overseas like their music.

She says Cape Verdean singers need to perform in other countries to make a living on their own.

But like so many others who have left the island, she says musicians never forget their island roots.

"Cape Verdeans always have this dream to go look for a better way of life, but to come back in the end," continued Alinho.

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

3 melancholic   

忧郁症患者

参考例句：

• A absurd tragedy accompany a melancholic song by the Tiger Lillies. 一出荒诞的悲剧，在泰戈莱利斯犹豫的歌声中缓缓上演。
• I have never heard her sing a melancholic song. 我从来没有听她唱过忧伤的曲子。

4 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

7 justifies   

证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护）

参考例句：

• Their frequency of use both justifies and requires the memorization. 频繁的使用需要记忆，也促进了记忆。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In my judgement the present end justifies the means. 照我的意见，只要目的正当，手段是可以不计较的。