Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the City of Santa Cruz, will hold the 3rd edition of Batuku Finkadu na Tereru on Saturday, the 12th, in honor of the centenary of Nha Nácia Gomi, an “icon of traditional Cape Verdean culture”.
The event, which will take place from 9 am to 5 pm in front of Santa Cruz City Hall, will bring together 244 batucadeiras from 24 groups from the nine municipalities on the island of Santiago and the island of Maio.
This information was given by the general director of arts and Creative Industries, Vandrea Monteiro, highlighting that this edition will take place in a different format, in contrast to previous ones that brought together more than 600 participants.
The initiative is part of the policy to encourage creative economies, promoting cultural activities and alternative tourism, with the main objective of valuing and preserving batuco, an ancestral cultural manifestation of the islands of Santiago and Maio.
This year, according to Vandrea Monteiro, the event takes on a special meaning as it forms part of the celebrations for Nha Nácia Gomi’s centenary.
Born on July 18, 1925, in the municipality of São Miguel, Nha Nácia Gomi is considered one of the most authentic representatives of finaçon, batuco and Cape Verdean oral tradition.
Guardian of collective memory and symbol of popular culture in the Rabelados region, the artist left a remarkable legacy in the history of Creole music and spirituality.
According to Vandrea Monteiro, Director General of Arts and Creative Industries, the choice of Santa Cruz as the venue for this year’s edition is the result of a “perfect marriage” between the city’s commemorative agenda and the government’s commitment to exalting the greatest figures in national culture.
“We celebrate together this cultural practice that represents us so much and one of the greatest figures of Cape Verdean art, Inácia Gomes, under her maxim: If you are alone, you cannot stay,” he emphasized.
In turn, the mayor of Santa Cruz, Carlos Alberto Silva, reinforced the importance of the partnership with the Ministry of Culture to make Santa Cruz “the largest batuco terreiro in the world” this year.
He announced that celebrations in honor of Nha Nácia Gomi will take place until December 18, with an event each month, in allusion to her legacy and her contribution to national culture.
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