Today’s Doodle celebrates world-renowned Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora. Born in Mindelo, a port city on the island of São Vicente off the West African coast on this day in 1941, Cesária grew up in an orphanage and began singing in bars and cruise ships as a teenager. Her specialty was morna, the bluesy national music of Cape Verde, which she would bring to an international audience—earning many accolades, including a Grammy Award.

Évora’s poignant voice was perfectly suited to morna music, and her life experiences imbued her songs of love and loss with unmistakable feeling. Known for performing barefoot, she sang in Kriolu, a blend of Portugese and African dialects, accompanied by piano, guitar, or cavaquinho, a four-stringed Portuguese guitar. Although she was invited to sing on local radio, and two of these recordings were released in Europe, she could not support herself solely with her music career and retired from singing for many years.

In her mid-40s, Évora traveled to Portugal for a recording session, where she impressed Josè Da Silva, a French concert promoter of Cape Verdean descent. Da Silva invited her to Paris, and starting in the late 1980s, Évora recorded several albums for his label, starting with La Diva aux pieds nus (“The Barefoot Diva”), which brought her to a new audience.

Évora went on to tour the world and won a 2003 Grammy Award for her album Voz d’amor, as well as two Kora awards from the African music industry.

Never distracted by stardom, she worked hard even in declining health and used her fame to help others, serving as an ambassador for the UN’s World Food Program. The airport on her home island of São Vicente was named in her honor, with a statue and mural commemorating the beloved “Queen of Morna.”





Special thanks to the family of Cesária Évora for their partnership on this project. Below, her granddaughter Janete Évora shares her thoughts on the singer’s legacy.



Courtesy of: N’KRUMAH LAWSON-DAKU, PARIS, July 2009

My grandmother, Cesária Évora, was a true force of nature. Her family called her Yaya, which means “Grandma” in many Africa tribes. But her nickname actually came from my older brother, who couldn't pronounce “Cesária” when he was little. "Yaya" was his best effort at an abbreviation.

Despite her lack of formal education, Yaya was one of the most intelligent women I have ever met. More than this, what stuck with me was her kindness and her willingness to help others. Nevertheless, she was blessed with a strong and inflexible personality, which also had a certain sarcastic streak.

True African Legend...... Thank you Google!!!