Guinea-Bissau/Portugal
Guinea-Bissau may be a poor and small country-one of the smallest in continental Africa-but this tiny West African nation is blessed with tremendous musical riches. Gumbe is the joyous national music that melds some of the country’s many different types of traditional music with modern sounds into something a bit like a polyrhythmic samba. This cultural wealth can be found in abundance in the magical multilingual music of Eneida Marta.
One of the brightest lights in a new generation of Bissauan musicians, she grew up in a musical family singing at weddings, circumcisions and harvest feasts. Marta left Guinea-Bissau in her late teens to join the vibrant African exile musical community in Lisbon. She has recorded three albums since 2001 and her fame has spread across Europe. Marta and producer Juca Delgado mix Bissauan musical styles like gumbe with other influences including Cape Verdean morna, Portuguese fado, Nigerian Afro-beat and a touch of jazz to create captivating soul-filled music. Her voice is sweet, supple and evocative as she sings in a multitude of languages, including Mandingo, Fula, Kriol, Futa-fula, Balanta, Papel, Mandjako, Biafada, Bejago, and Portuguese. Many of her songs pay tribute to the to struggles of her homeland and in particular of the women of Guinea-Bissau. Her people have endured the hardships of civil war and desperate poverty while still creating wondrous music imbued with their vitality and spirit. Now we have the privilege of experiencing that music via the gracious presence of Eneida Marta.
Performance Times/Locations:
Sat: 10:00 am on Stage 3; 12:50 pm on Stage 4; 5:00 on ECS
Sun: 10:00 am on Stage 4
