Armando Zeferino Soares

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Armando Zeferino Soares
Born	1920 Praia Branca on São Nicolau, Cape Verde
Died	April 3, 2007
Occupation	composer

Armando Zeferino Soares, (1920 in São Nicolau, Cape Verde - April 3, 2007) was a Capeverdean composer, author of the famous song Sodade. He was born in Praia Branca in the island of São Nicolau and worked there as a salesman.

He had several disputes due to the authorship of Sodade with other composers, including Amândio Cabral and Luís Morais. Finally on December 2006, the court declared Armando Soares the author of the famous song. He told the newspaper A Semana that he created the music in the 1950s in a farewell celebration to a group of friends that embarked for São Tomé e Príncipe.

[edit] Sodade

The song Sodade turned out to be emblematic^{[citation needed]} to Cape Verde and its culture, mainly after the interpretation of Cesária Évora but also with the aid of a lot of other Capeverdean and foreign singers. Sodade became an unofficial anthem^{[citation needed]} of the islands of saudade.

Sodade describes with great simplicity the dilemma of Capeverdean emigrants' suffering, specially the ones who were hired to work (almost as slaves) in the cocoa and coffee plantations of São Tomé e Príncipe.

Here is the song written in the São Vicente Crioulo:

Quem mostra' bo
Ess caminho longe?
Ess caminho
Pa Sã Tomé
Sodade
Dess nha terra d’Sã Nicolau
Si bô 'screvê' me
'M ta 'screvê be
Si bô 'squecê me
'M ta 'squecê be
Até dia
Qui bô voltá

(Armando Zeferino Soares, Sodade (excerpt))

English translation:

Who told you
Of this distant path?
This path
To São Tomé
Sodade (impossible to translate in a single word, see Saudade)
Of my homeland of São Nicolau
If you write me
I'll write you
If you forget me
I'll forget you
'Till the day
You come back

(Armando Zeferino Soares, Sodade (excerpt translations))