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"Sodade" is aCape Verdean song written in the 1950s byArmando Zeferino Soares,[1] and best popularized byCesária Évora on her 1992 albumMiss Perfumado. The name is theCape Verdean Creole variant of the Portuguese termsaudade.
The authorship of the song was contested, notably by the duo Amândio Cabral and Luís Morais, until a court ruled in December 2006 that Soares was the author.[1]
Sodade describes the nostalgia experienced by Cape Verdeansemigrants who have been seafarers and emigrants for centuries, repeating the question "Ken mostro-b es kaminhu longe?" ("Who showed you the faraway path?")[2] Cape Verdeans have been voluntarily migrating from Cape Verde to every continent, since the early 1800s. The earliest recorded migration of Cape Verdeans was to New England, because they were recruited as whalers for their exceptional seafaring skills as whalers and whale captains. This started the trend of voluntary immigration of Cape Verdeans to New England, as well as opened doors for future migration during periods of drought and following independence from Portugal.
The songSodade refers to the migration of a small part of the population as contract laborers toSão Tomé, which occurred during the authoritarian rule over Portugal and its former colonies byAntonio de Oliveira Salazar.
However,Sodade is one of many songs written throughout the history of migration in Cape Verde, including the whaling era. Departures of friends and family, known asdespididas in Portuguese and Creole, were often accompanied bymornas to bid farewell to loved ones and neighbors with aserenata or serenade. Songs likeSodade are reminiscent of this tradition and represent the nostalgia associated with migration in Cape Verde for more than two centuries. Many songs, likeSodade, were composed to bid farewell to loved ones.
The history of Cape Verdeans as global migrants (an inherent influence on Cape Verdean culture and music) is why morna lyrics, like the lyrics ofSodade, are often melancholic and nostalgic.
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French SNEP Albums Chart[3] | 42 |