About a year ago, the Cape Verdean government decided to set up a day celebrating Batuku, on July 31st, the same day as African Women\u2019s Day. Less famous on the international scene than the emblematic Funana, and the Morna of Cesaria Evora, Batuku is nevertheless probably the oldest genre of Cape Verdean music.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s find out what is Batuku ?<\/p>\n
According to local stories, Batuku was born with the arrival of the first African slaves on the Cape Verde islands and more particularly on the island of Santiago, the closest to the mainland coast and probably the one where African influence is felt most strongly.<\/p>\n
Women being less solicited at work than men, they found in Batuku not only a pastime, but also a means of expression beyond the repression suffered. Seated together, they all beat in rhythm on a cloth placed between their thighs thus creating this rhythm coming from their souls. Batuku is performed in a rhythm of time binary but with a ternary division, marked by the percussion of the \u00abxabetas\u00bb and \u00abpalmas\u00bb accompanied by the monochord \u00abcimboa\u00bb, to which a group of women sings and dances \u00abku tornu\u00bb with their waist and hips.<\/p>\n
B De Bela Vista - Nha Marido<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n