As Fado Bicha – Challenging the Taboos of Portugal's Most Famous Music
Whilst the ‘Three Fs’ of fado - Fatima (the shrine), Football and Fado - which cemented the genre's association with the Salazar dictatorship, and its inherent conservatism, especially about gender issues, have put many…
Things That Matter to…Sara Correia
Widely regarded around the world as one of Fado music’s fastest rising stars, Portuguese singer Sara Correia’s profile has continued to rise sharply this year following the release of her acclaimed third studio album '…
Uncovering B.Léza - Cesaria Evora’s songwriter
Few people had heard of Cabo Verde, an arc of islands off the coast of Senegal, until Cesária Évora put them on the map. B. Leza is one of the most important composers in the history of Cabo Verde, and anyone who knows Cesária…
Latin Londoner #41: Sonia Bernardo, Singer Songwriter
Sonia is a British-Portuguese singer/songwriter that has been pricking ears with her powerful soulful voice, tinged with a Fado weep, mixed with Bossa-Nova simplicity and jazzy embellishments. Bernardo caught the attention of…
Remembering Amalia Rodrigues, Fado singer (1939-1999)
One of Portugal’s most beloved music stars, Amalia Rodrigues held the heart of a nation for more than 50 years, singing in the style of one of her country’s most enduring folk music traditions, fado.
Nheengatu – Conquest and Resistance in the Amazon
Travelling by boat along the deep Amazon forest, Portuguese Film director José Barahona searches for a language that was all but obliterated when his ancestors imposed their own language upon the native population in Brazil.…
Mariza Canta Amália
Mariza, the singer that helped bring Fado into the 21st century pays tribute to the late Amália Rodrigues, the Queen of Fado, up there with the great voices of 20th century, in her latest album. Dr. Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho,…
A Talent Show Star with a Difference
Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017 (with the highest ever score to date) and giving Portugal its first-ever win in the contest, Salvador Sobral has proved to be much more than just a talent contest winner. The jazz…
'Prazer, Camaradas!' Dir. José Filipe Costa
‘Prazer, Camaradas!’ is a charming, fiction-documentary by Portuguese director José Filipe Costa that was recently shown at the 63rd BFI London Film Festival. With acute observations and a gentle humour, it examines the impact on…
Djon África ( 2018) Directed by Filipa Reis and João Miller Guerra
Terratreme Films is a production company based in Lisbon, Portugal. Their aim acknowledges that only the direct intervention of the directors in the concept, pre-production and budget can lead to a successful outcome that…
Batida Lisboa (Dir. Rita Maia, Vasco Viana)
Rita Maia and Vasco Viana’s charming musical documentary takes us on a journey around the tough Lisbon ghettos and suburbs where we experience the lives of a number of Portuguese-speaking African musicians who are searching to…
ORDINARY TIME (Tempo Común) Dir. Susana Nobre
A contemplative and minimalist film that reveals a moving life cycle as it delves into the lives of a young couple and their daughter during her first year of life. A quiet study of parenthood with a gentle intimacy and subtle…
When Fado met Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Beyond
Ana Moura first burst onto the international scene in 2011, when she was hailed by the media as a ‘prodegée’ of Prince and Mick Jagger. But beyond this rather colonialist view (the Portuguese singer was a fully-fledged artist…
Hugo Brazão- The VIA Arts Prize winner 2018–Madeiran zing shines in London
Out of 200 entries, the talented Madeiran artist HUGO BRAZÃO has won the 2018 VIA Arts Prize (Visual Ibero-American Arts) with Graham Guy-Robinson as runner up. The 30 finalist’s works are now on show in the stunning ‘Sala Brasil…
Mariza, Interpreter of Life
Born in Mozambique to a Portuguese father and Mozambican mother and brought up in Mouraria, one of the traditional Fado neighbourhoods of Lisbon, Mariza has become one of Portugal’s most charismatic performers and eloquent…
5 SIGHTS OF SOUTH AMERICA YOU WON'T FORGET
Bored of beaches, banal museums and grotty hotels? Want to do something different this time you go away? South America harbours some of the most breath-taking natural phenomena in the entire world. No tour guide needed, just a…
LATIN LONDONER # 13 Eddy Vents - Kizomba teacher
Eddy Vents has been surrounded by Lusophone music from the early childhood. His undoubted passion for kizomba and exceptional teaching skills has made him a winner of the award for Kizomba Teacher of the Year in 2014. This is his…