Themusic ofGuinea-Bissau is most widely associated with thepolyrhythmicgenre ofgumbe, the country's primary musical export.Tina andtinga are other popular genres.
Independence from Portugal was declared in 1973 aftera long struggle. "Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada" ("This Is Our Beloved Country"), composed by Xiao He with words byAmílcar Cabral, is thenational anthem of Guinea-Bissau, as it was ofCape Verde until 1996.
In contrast to other Portuguese colonies likeBrazil,Angola,Mozambique andCape Verde, thefado style hardly penetrated Guinea-Bissau's music. Popular song lyrics, however, are almost always inGuinea-Bissau Creole, aPortuguese-basedcreole language. They are often humorous and topical, revolving around current events and issues such asAIDS.
Popular singers have had a stormy relationship with Guinea-Bissau's government.José Carlos Schwarz (Zé Carlos), who criticized the administration, died in a plane crash inHavana under suspicious circumstances. Later Super Mama Djambo supported thePAIGC while mocking its perceivednepotism andcorruption.
Some performers were banned by the government, includingZé Manel after he began singing "Tustumunhus di aonti" (Yesterday's Testimony) in 1983, using lyrics written byHuco Monteiro, a poet.Justino Delgado, another popular singer, was arrested for criticizing PresidentJoão Bernardo Vieira. Civil unrest and a small population have limited the wider influence of the country's music.
Guinea-Bissau's 1,596,677 people (July 2011 estimate) includeBalanta (30%),Fula (20%),Manjack (14%),Mandinka (13%) andPapel (7%). The European andMulatto population is less than 1% and there is a small Chinese population.
The wordgumbe is sometimes used generically to refer to any music of the country, but it refers specifically to a unique style that fuses about ten of the country'sfolk music traditions.
The Balanta play a gourd lute instrument called akusunde, similar to theJolaakonting but with the short drone string (A#/B) at the bottom rather than the top. The top string is of middle length (open F#, stopped G#) while the middle string, the longest (open C#, stopped D#) is stopped by the top string and sounds the same.
Extent folk traditions includeceremonial music used infunerals,initiations and other rituals, as well asBalantabrosca andkussundé,Mandingadjambadon and thekundere sound of theBijagos islands.
Thecalabash is a primarymusical instrument of Guinea-Bissau, and is used in extremely swift and rhythmically complexdance music.
Gumbe, the first popular song tradition to arise in the country after independence, had begun in 1973 with the recording ofErnesto Dabó's "M'Ba Bolama" inLisbon. Dabó'srecord producer, Zé Carlos, had formed the popularCobiana Djazz in 1972. The next popular band wasSuper Mama Djombo with their 1980 debutCambança, followed byAfrica Livre,Chifre Preto andKapa Negra.
In the 1980s genres like kussundé began to become popular, led byKaba Mané, whoseChefo Mae Mae usedelectric guitar andBalanta lyrics.
Angolan pop music, calledkizomba, supports a number of artists singing in both English and Portuguese.