Written by
Olav Aalberg:
Updated February 2007
... 
Batuku dancers on the Capeverdean women´s day Nacia Gomi, queen of batuku
Batuku, sambuna, and finacon
Batuku originated on the island of Santiago and is the
expression of the people´s collective memory and identity,
developed after work in the fields at improvised gatherings and community
festivities. Batuku is basically a female activitiy.
In batuku, women strike (often polyrhythmically) the
txabeta, a bale of cloth (see my article on
pano) rolled up
and squeezed between
the knees. Batuku is divided into sambuna and finason. In the sambuna, rythm
prevails over lyrics, and there is dancing to it.
Listen, and see batuku
Read about cimboa - the one-stringed fiddle accompanying batuku sessions
In finason the singers improvise words according to a
predefined theme, which may be related to the audience and circumstances,
but a certain structure is obeyed. Today, N´toni denti d´Oro a man in his late
seventies, is one of the last persons alive who knows how to do it.
As the style requires 4, 6 or 8 lead singers, each
improvising 10 phrases on a predefined theme, it is no more to be heard in its
proper form.
There are other ideas on the structure of these rythms, for
example Tomé Varela da Silva, in his rather unique documentation of three of
the
most acknowledged batukaderas, Nha Gida Mendi, Nha Bibinha Cabral, and Nha
Nacia Gomi.
Da Silva does not mention the necessity of several singers to perform a proper
finason, but he does, however, describe a session, where two singers
sing ”together”.
These books are difficult to come by, not to mention read, as they are all
written in Santiago style kriolo..
CDs presenting traditional batuku
|
Grupo Boa esperança |
Mondon |
Sons d´ Àfrica |
00296-2 |
2000? |
|
|
Nacia Gomi |
Nacia Gomi cu sê
mocìnhos |
Sons d´`Africa |
285 |
1999 |
The queen herself |
|
Nacia Gomi |
Fínkadu na Raíz |
AV produções |
- |
2005 |
Recorded and mixed at Kapital studios, Praia, Cape Verde |
|
Nhamita Pereira |
Pachêncha!!! Agù na
labada kôbi ta sèca |
Atlantic Music |
AM 2219-99-05-27 |
1999 |
I am told Nhamita died a few years ago.. |
|
Nhamita Pereira |
Batuque et Finaçon |
Ocora |
C 560151 |
2001 |
|
|
Ntóni Denti d´Oro |
Batuque et Finaçon |
Ocora Radio France |
C 560132 |
-98 |
The only male batukadero I have ever heard of. A great record by a
most fascinating man!! Listen to the
cimboa! |
| Triste sta na rua | Gold Music productions |
CD_111 |
2005 |
Batukaderas from Chão bom, outside Tarrafal. That is also where the Salazar regime´s concentration camp is situated |
|
|
Various artists |
Cabo Verde Dez
granzin di tera |
Tradisom |
VS11 |
1998 |
From the Expo 98 participation |
|
Various artists |
Music from Cape
Verde |
Caprice Records |
Cap 21451 |
1994 |
(Nacia Gomi) |
|
Various artists |
Cape Verde an
archipelago of music |
Ocora |
C 560146/47 |
1999 |
|
|
Xubenga |
Terrero |
Lusafica |
02303-2 |
2000 |
Elegantly including electric guitar, saxophone,
clavier. A good start for people not yet accustomed to batuku. My favourite! |
CDs presenting batuku using modern instruments
|
Nha Minininha |
Rainha di batuku |
MR Music Pro |
|
2000 |
Traditional song, but heavy instrumentation. I like
it, though. |
|
Orlando Pantera |
Orlando Pantera |
bootleg material |
|
2000? |
pirate recordings 2 CDs by the late talented creator
of the new “batuku wave” |
|
Various artists |
Ayan |
Praia Records |
Praia001CD |
2002 |
Princezito, Djingo, Vadu, Tcheka |
|
João Cirilo |
Pô di Terra |
|
LP |
198? |
this is one of the first examples of the generation
of post-independence musicians |
|
Tcheka |
Argui |
Lusafrica |
|
2003 |
|
|
Vadú |
Nha Raís |
Praia Records |
Praia CD002 |
2005 |
|
Want to read more?
The following books give an in depth knowledge of the batuku
tradition. You need no more excuses to learn kriolo, French, and Portuguese!
|
|
Batuko and Funana: Musical Traditions of Santiago, Republic of Cape Verde |
Unpublished thesis for the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy at Brown University |
1997 |
Well written, and the most complete
description in English of this tradition |
|
Monteiro, Vladimir |
Les musiques du Cap-Cert |
Chandeigne |
1998 |
|
|
Osório, Oswaldo |
Cantigas de trabalho. Tradições orais de
Cabo Verde |
|
1980 |
incl. single w/author singing trad .
songs. |
|
Silva, Tome Varela da |
Finasons di Ña Nasia Gomi |
ICL |
1985 |
|
|
Silva, Tome Varela da |
Konparason di konbérsu (1 280 ditadu y
senténsa tradisional) |
ICL |
1997 |
oral tradition |
|
Silva, Tome Varela da |
Ña Bibiña Kabral - bida y óbra |
ICL |
1988 |
Bibiña died some years ago. |
|
Silva, Tome Varela da |
Ña Gida Mendi - simenti di onti na ^con di
mañan |
ICL |
1983 |
Born ca. 1897, this woman sang in the
probably oldest way ever recorded |
|
Silva, Tome Varela da |
Tenpu di tenpu (1.168 dibiña tradisional Vol.
I |
ICL |
1992 |
|
| Vasconcellos, Ernesto J. De C. E | Archipelago de Cabo Verde Estudo elementar de geographia phisica, economica e politica | Centro Typographico Colonial, Lisboa | 1916 | Interesting early notes on music and dance. A few pages now available as pdf document on: http://home.no/caboverde/Vasconcellos_100-123.pdf |