I’ve been on this Portuguese-African kick lately, partly inspired by Benn loxo listener, Ian. You’ll hopefully be hearing from him soon.

In the meantime here’s a great tune by talented Cabo Verdian singer Terezinha Araújo. She has a unique pan-Portuguese West-African style, incorporating elements of Angolan, Portuguese, Cabo Verdian and Guinea-Bissauian music.

Araújo was discovered when she was just a little girl by none other than Miriam Makeba. She was performing in Conakry where her family was living in exile from Cabo Verde when she caught Makeba’s ear. By the age of 17 she was singing across West Africa and the communist bloc countries. There’s this great photo of her at the time in the album booklet sporting a wool sweater straight out of a 1970s French ski slope, singing her heart out at a Moscow conference centre.

Following Cabo Verde’s independence she eventually moved back to Cabo Verde where she still lives today. Her first solo recording, Nôs riqueza, was released on Nocturne in 2004.

Terezinha Araújo – Minino di criaçôn