“Labanta Braço”: Music and the polyphonic memoryscape of Independence in postcolonial Cabo Verde

Abstract

This article examines the 50th anniversary Independence celebrations in Mindelo, Cabo Verde, and explores the intersections of music, memoryscapes, and postcolonial politics. Focusing on performances by the Mindelense bands Serenata and Kings, it highlights tensions and frictions across generations, regional identities, and political contexts. The study shows how musical genres, repertoires, and embodied practices mediate and construct collective memory through often contested national narratives. Male-centered traditions, nostalgic recollections, and the negotiation between state-led and private celebrations reveal how the memory of independence is continuously reinterpreted. By analyzing these performances as both mnemonic forms and social acts, the article illuminates the dynamics and performance of Cabo Verdean memoryscapes.