No music is an island
February 28, 2020

'The Funaná Revolt' - a wholly unique sound of revolutionary Cabo Verde

The Cabo Verdean popular music genre of funaná was outlawed by the Portuguese colonial government in the 1950s as too proud an expression of identity, and it emerged only in the 1990s as a symbol of political activism. A new compilation 'Pour Me a Grog: The Funaná Revolt in the 1990s' is driven by the gaita (the type of accordion), an instrument materially linked to colonial influences even as it necessarily revolts against them. It's accompanied by passionate vocals and plentiful drums and synths, with remarkable speed on instruments. PopMatters says the album is worth a listen if only to make the acquaintance of a wholly unique musical style.