adeus, cesaria

Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Évora died today at the age of seventy.

I remember hearing her sing in an open-air amphitheater in Cape Verde, on the island of Fogo, almost fifteen years ago. We paid five dollars for the tickets (less than it cost to see some local bands).

Her voice was beautiful and sad and haunting. She performed barefoot, as was her habit.

In between sets, she sat down on the stage and smoked a cigarette, a pensive look on her face.

I would post a photo here, but that was years before digital cameras or any of that.

Instead, I'll leave you with that most Cape Verdean word, the refrain of Cesaria's music, and other Cape Verdean music, too, which means missing, which means longing, homesickness, yearning for something that's gone or past or distant:

Sodadi.