The Cape Verde archipelago is among the rare nations that define themselves through their music. The great diva Cesária Évora put this small country on the world map, and since then, talent has continued to flourish there.
The Atlantic Music Expo—both a professional market and a public festival—is a showcase for this vibrant creativity. Among the revelations of this edition: Alicia Freitas, a 16-year-old prodigy, composer and pianist, who has just released her first album with nine original compositions.
"Some of my contemporaries have succeeded in keeping traditional music alive. But today, very few artists are investing in this repertoire. Our culture and our identity are thus at risk of fragmenting, for lack of transmitters. I hope that other young people of my age will see the fruits of this commitment — a tradition that cannot be lost. I want to see it stand the test of time," says Alicia Freitas, composer and pianist.
Daughter of this land of wind and sea, Ineida Moniz weaves the traditional rhythms of the archipelago with the colours of the contemporary world, creating a fusion that is both rooted and resolutely open.
"We will not let our identity die. We will carry it with pride. As an artist, I remain open to innovation — without losing my roots or my essence. I maintain my Cape Verdean identity, while breathing new freshness into the music of the archipelago. It is a Cape Verde open to the world... and the world open to Cape Verde," promises Ineida Moniz, musician.
A newcomer to the AME lineup, this trio formation — born in 2024 from the vision of pianist and composer Carlos Matos — approaches music as one draws invisible maps: delicate and unexpected paths, where Cape Verdean roots intersect with the harmonic freedom of jazz.
"The trio offers true freedom of instrumental expression — individual, collective. Not just in the rhythms we know. Cape Verdean music is universal, whether in the contemporary, classical, jazz or free jazz repertoire. There is a wealth of ingredients there that still calls for many explorations. The Matos Trio can be a platform to go even further in this direction," explains Carlos Matos, composer and jazz pianist.
The Atlantic Music Expo gives way this weekend to the Kriol Jazz Festival — which runs until April 11. The two events have become a real tourist magnet for the archipelago.
