Kodé di Dona 2

by Susan Margaret Hurley-Glowa

 

This text is taken from Batuko and Funana: Musical Traditions of Santiago, Republic of Cape Verde, her thesis for PhD in the Department of Music at Brown University, 1997,  available as UMI microfilm. This text is published on home.no/tabanka with permission from the author.

 Analysis of Sodadi, by Kodé di Dona
Kodé di Dona 1
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…Traveling 13 kilometers northeast from Praia to São Francisco, one finds Kodé di Dona, perhaps the best known funana player in Cape Verde.  He lives in the village of São Francisco with his wife and large family.  He has at least eight children, the youngest of whom was two when I was there in 1993.  He is very devoted to his family, and he usually performs in public with his son, Zé (José) playing the ferrinho.  Zé was 15 in 1993.  When Zé is not available, Kodé sometimes brings along his next youngest son to accompany him.  Many of Kodé's children have learned to play the gaita, as well as the ferrinho.

Born Gregorio Vaz in São Nicolau in 1942, Kodé di Dona grew up in Santiago between São Domingos and the Ribeira Seca region, not far from the homes of Sema Lopi and Nasia Gomi.  Unlike most gaita players, he took formal lessons in music for one year when he began to play in 1959.  He has been  playing actively ever since.  He considers his profession to be music, but he has recently earned steady income as a guard in São Francisco.  He keeps livestock away from the hundreds of newly planted acacia trees (part of a reforestation project) so that the trees will have a chance to grow.  He is often in demand for private parties and public festivals, and he supplements his income by these engagements.

Over the years virtually all of the significant musicians from Santiago have made their way to São Francisco to listen and to learn from Kodé.  There are several reasons why he is so highly respected by his peers.  He is the most technically capable of the gaita players alive today and the melodies he creates have great appeal.  Many of his songs have entered the funana repertoire played throughout Santiago.  He is also known for his lyrics; his song texts often have veiled meanings that speak to the heart of the Badiu experience.  The messages in his songs are often not self-evident but must be studied in detail to reveal their depth and insight.  Poor in material wealth, but rich in wisdom, imagination, and freedom, Kodé di Dona is the personification of the archetypical Badiu musician for many Cape Verdeans.

In person, Kodé di Dona is soft-spoken, respectful, and a little shy with people he doesn't know well.  One typically finds him near his home, surrounded by children who obviously adore him.  He is not a large man, perhaps 5'8", and he is lean and even a little fragile.  He has an expressive face which often seems to have a slightly sad look.  He is much happier and animated when he is playing music for his peers in an informal setting than when he is on a concert stage.  As with many funana musicians, the years of groggo drinking have taken a toll on Kodé's health.  In recent times, he has actively tried to cut back on his consumption.

Although I was familiar with some of Kodé di Dona's music from copies of cassettes given to me by Norberto Tavares (originally recorded by Zeka di Nha Reinalda), I had an opportunity to see Kodé often when my husband and I were invited to stay in the home of a German, Hermann Rolfs, near the waterfront of São Francisco. Rolfs often hires Kodé and other village musicians to play at his estate[1]. During the two weeks we spent in São Francisco, I met Kodé on a regular basis and got to know him.

During the period of my extended research in 1992-93, I renewed my acquaintance with Kodé di Dona and learned more about him and his music. My admiration for him as a musician, and person, has continued to grow, especially as I worked with his song texts and began to understand the messages behind his words.

 

Analysis of Sodadi, by Kodé di Dona
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