Manecas Costa~Fundo Di Matu

(Guinea-Bissau)
Guinea-Bissau is a small counrty on the West African coast sandwiched between Senegal to the north and Guinea to the south. A former colony of Portugal, Guinea-Bissau achieved its independence less than 30 years ago and it is still struggling to establish a stable political structure.

Manuel Leal Emidio Costa, or Manecas Costa, was born in 1967 and was raised in the capital city of Bissau. He founded his first band, Africa Live, with his brother when he was just 9 years old, and the group of adolescents went on to the be child stars in Guinea-Bissau with a string of popular appearences. Costa eventually recorded and performed with many of his country's greatest musical figures and developed a strong reputation as a composer. In 1987 he won the prestigious Radio France International Discoveries Award, and UNICEF nominated him a Goodwill Ambassador for his songs that addressed the struggles of women and children in Guinea-Bissau and in the Third World in general.

In 1990, Costa immigrated to Portugal seeking new opprtunities and experiences. In Lisbon, Costa became a leading producer and performer in the African community and toured the US and Europe as a bandmember for Angola's Waldemar Bastos. The song "Fundo di Matu" originally appeared on Costa's 1999 release of the same name, a brilliant album that has never been widely distributed.

The lyrics to "Fundo di Matu (Deep in the Forest)" capture the mystery and melancholy of a lost love while commenting on the state of his native land. Costa sings in Crioulo, a blend of local African languages and Portuguese that is the lingua franca of Guinea-Bissau.
"Deep in the Forest / The drums play strong / It is sacred / The whiteness of the moon / Has been tied to the darkness / The mystery of the night / Is found on her body / And in her eyes as well / In her heart a child cries / A cry of loneliness / Bissau is sleeping but doesn't konw it / My child, my love, you are sleeping / And not knowing it"
Paintings and drawings: Alan Ainslie

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Guinea-Bissau
• Putumayo
• Manecas
• Costa
• Fundo
• di
• Matu
• World
• Music

[fqfernandes2008]

Linda e nostálgica esta canção! Parabéns Manecas Costa.