50 years after the independence of Cape Verde and the other ex-Portuguese colonies, Mario Lucio is
releasing an album celebrating this great moment of change in Lusophone Africa. Singer, guitarist,
composer, poet, writer, thinker and even former Minister of Culture: Mario Lucio is all these things and more for Cape Verdeans. A strong advocate of creolization, his work is a sensitive and passionate tribute to the cross-cultural fusion that has shaped his country’s identity.
The historic leader of the cult Cape Verdean group Simentera, but also the author of six solo albums, Mario Lucio returns with Independance, a seventh opus celebrating this great moment of change in Cape Verde and Lusophone Africa. The title ‘Independance’, incorporates the word “dance,” a play on words symbolizing both the revival of once-banned folk dances and Cape Verde’s embrace of urban popular music from Angola, Congo, Guinea, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. This is a truly celebratory album, in which Mario Lucio revisits the early days of independence – an era of his childhood filled with joy and music.
And to accompany him in concert on the Independence tour, Mario will be backed by the
“Pan African Band”, with Jery Bidan from Guinea-Bissau on guitar, Ricardo Campos from Angola on bass and Dilson Groove from Congo on drums.
” While celebrating independence, and in a festive way, Mário Lúcio does not fail to have a lucid
and uncompromising look at African independence processes in general. “
PUBLICO (PT)
“…a festive and danceable album which seduces immediately and totally.”
LE MONDE (FR)
“On July 5, 1975, Cape Verde became the second Portuguese colony in Africa to gain independence. Mario Lucio was 10 years old… So many festive memories can be heard in his seventh solo album, ‘Independance’.”
LE MONDE WEB (FR)
“Fifty years on, the elegant ambassador of Atlantic Creolité celebrates this festive era… lively dance music, a real breath of optimism in these grey times.”
TELERAMA (FR)
“A melodious, euphoric political ballad
with the heady timbre of harmonies from the Portuguese-speaking archipelago.”
L’HUMANITE (FR)
“with the album ‘Independance’, Mario Lucio continues to preach for a gentle ‘Créolité’…
with graceful musicality backed by lively rhythms.”
TELERAMA SORTIR (FR)
“Another great name in Cape Verdean music, Mario Lucio.”
FRANCE INTER (RADIO FRANCE)
Contacts:
PROMO : SIMON VEYSSIERE
simon@accent-presse.com
+336 70 21 32 83
BOOKING : AOSULDOMUNDO
luis@aosuldomundo.pt
+351 918 120 250
MDC : MAGGIE DOHERTY
maggie.doherty@music-mdc.com
+331 42 01 95 36
