“They are all excellent artists, but based on expectations, I think Sona Jobarteh and Bonga are the highlights,” Cláudia Mestre, communications assistant for the production company Harmonia, the organizer of the event that annually puts the archipelago on the international music map, told Lusa.
The lineup is on the agenda of music lovers and fans of jazz and Creole rhythms who are already accustomed to booking places for open-air concerts, far from the (still) winter weather of the northern hemisphere.
On the verge of turning 83 (in September), Bonga - José Adelino Barceló de Carvalho - continues to take to the stage with rhythms and lyrics that both enliven and express popular aspirations.
“It’s never easy, given his age and the great name he is,” said Cláudia Mestre about the task of including Bonga in the lineup (which closes on the 12th), which she describes as “very rewarding: he’s a legendary artist, he started singing early on and in his compositions there was a need to evoke Angola’s independence.”
“This year, the KJF is part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of independence, so we associated Angola and Cape Verde,” which celebrate the date on November 11th and July 5th, respectively.
Sona Jobarteh is a woman in an unusual place: she plays the “cora,” a 21-string harp from West Africa, traditionally guarded by men, the “griots,” musicians who receive the role through heredity.
In addition to “changing the rules,” Sona Jobarteh (who will take the stage on April 11th) is also “an excellent singer,” as highlighted in the synopsis of the KJF program.
On the opening night (10 April) there will be a special attraction: the Kriol Kréyòl collective will perform, following an artistic residency that brought together musicians from different backgrounds.
“It’s a mix of two universes of Creole, from the Caribbean and Cape Verde”, one “more Francophone” and the other “more Lusophone”, with “similar sounds despite the cultural and historical differences”, described Marcos Costa, general director of the production company Harmonia.
“It’s not the first time we’ve tried to make this rich cachupa”, he joked, in an allusion to the archipelago’s typical dish that is a fusion of ingredients, traditions and flavours.
Completing the programme will be Cabo Cuba Jazz (10 April), Mário Lúcio, Mário Canonge, Sixun (11 April), Nancy Vieira, Michelle David and The True Tones and Las Karambas (12 April).
“The KJF always brings artists from different continents and jazz mixed with Creole music”, which, Cláudia Mestre acknowledges, requires a difficult task of contacts and scheduling, “but Djô da Silva knows how to do that like no one else”, she said, in relation to the KJF producer – it is almost like a vocation, “since always, since the time of Cesária, he knows how to do it”.
The result will be on stage in a few days, with an annual impact on the life of the capital, especially in the hotel, restaurant and associated services.
This year's lineup was cut due to the lack of transfer of support from the Praia City Council, a matter that is still open, said Marcos Costa – and the local authority also said it is working on the matter.
In any case, the project has well-defined aspirations and includes internationalization, as has already happened this year, with an extension in Águeda (Portugal).
The KJF is always preceded by the Atlantic Music Expo (AME), a meeting of professionals that includes shows with new stars, which this year will liven up Praia between 7 and 10 April.
