Every Wednesday I will be introducing great kizomba singers from PALOP communities that usually don’t have the recognition they deserve.
Kizomba music comes from all over the PALOP community, not just Angola. All mixes between Zouk and Afro Rhythms (not to be confused with Afro-House) are normally called kizomba, amongst PALOPS, regardless if the artists or bands are from Guinea-Bissau, Cabo-Verde, São Tomé and Prince, Mozambique or even the Congo (which is not a PALOP country).
Let me introduce this week’s artist Kalu Mendes from São Tomé and Prince. São Tomé and Prince are two islands where the majority of people are the children of immigrants from Cabo-Verde and Angola.
Thankfully you can find some of his music on Spotify and iTunes.
Unfortunately there isn’t any other information about him on the internet at this time, regardless; Kalu is an artist that represents the small island of São Tomé very well.
Most of his lyrics are sung in Creole from São Tomé and some Portuguese words, Zouk (French Caribbean) and soukouss (Congo) rhythms have a huge influence on his songs without forgetting the flavor of Africa Negra, another great band from São Tomé that was big among PALOP communities in the 80s.
If you love West African Rhythms and you can recognize the guitar from soukouss, Kalu Mendes songs will be a welcomed treat for your ears.
(Note: the fourth link I will post here is a Coladera song.)
Enjoy and wishing you all a great day.
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=Y_iVm7wdw5c
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=TCJAWBEh80o
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=f1sDFj6Z6Kk
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=XLb2E_XHKrU
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=6kpWNTtHdjk
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=zausr9O0Zk4
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=l2WMOSPBfgY
NOTE: PALOP – Portuguese-speaking African countries, also referred to as Lusophone Africa, consists of six African countries in which the Portuguese language is an official language: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe. Besides having a common language, the five former colonies of the Portuguese Empire share a strong “cultural identity, a similar system of governance and a long tradition of contacts and exchanges amongst themselves”. In 1992, the five Lusophone African countries formed an interstate organization called PALOP, a colloquial acronym that translates to African Countries of Portuguese Official Language (In Portuguese: Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa). The PALOP countries signed official agreements with Portugal, the European Union and the United Nations, and they work together to promote the development of culture and education and the preservation of the Portuguese language. Together with Portugal and Brazil in 1996, the Portuguese-speaking African countries established the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Portuguese: Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, abbreviated to CPLP).
Eddy Vents 