2023-11-28 20:46:48
Cesária Évora, the barefoot diva**
d’Ana Sofia Fonseca
Portuguese film, 1h34
Woman, black, poor, lame and orphan, Cesaria Evora could have grown up under better auspices. However, her incomparable voice has projected her to the most prestigious places in the world. A gift from heaven according to the Cape Verde diva (1941-2011). Her story allows us to understand the fascination she had over her time and the immense legacy left to music.
A legend, a true one, is discovered in Ana Sofia Fonseca’s exciting film. Rigorous archival work on the history of Cape Verde, which gained independence when the singer took off, combines excerpts from concerts and testimonies from relatives, including Piroc, her butler or Janete, his granddaughter. The significant biographical facts reveal the generosity of the artist and her feminist power. They document the rise of the first diva of the Third World, the equal of the South African Miriam Makeba.
The song Soda actually a star at 51
« Stranger », as those close to her called her, passionately admires Billie Holiday, defends her freedom since childhood, sings everywhere, releases a first record in France, home to world music. Cesaria Evora will be queen of morna, nostalgic and sweet music from Cape Verde which became a UNESCO heritage site in 2019. She only became a huge star at age 51, with the song Soda in 1992.
The film becomes captivating when it reveals the humanity of a secret woman, masking her torments with her art and her mischievous generosity. Locked up at home in the darkest of depression for eleven years, Cesaria Evora makes you feel everything with her melodious and heartbreaking voice. A soul passes through his song. Brazilian musician Seu Jorge, who opened for the icon, finds the most accurate words: « Caesareadidn’t just sing words. His way of interpreting made us understand the weight of each word, of each story. She revealed something in music that no one had heard before. »
#Cesaria #Évora #Ana #Sofia #Fonseca #reine #des #cœurs #morna