Batuque, the Soul of a People

Batuque, the Soul of a People (French title:Batuque, l'âme d'un peuple) is a 2006 documentary film written and directed by Júlio Silvão Tavares about the batuque musical group Raiz di Tambarina, and roots of this musical genre in Santiago, Cape Verde.[1][2][3]

Batuque, the Soul of a People
Theatrical poster
Directed byJúlio Silvão Tavares
Written byJúlio Silvão Tavares
Produced byMarie-Clémence Paes
Luis Correia
CinematographyCesar Paes
Edited byCésar Paes
Agnès Contensou
Production
companies
LX Filmes
Laterit Production
R.F.O.
Distributed byLX Filmes (Portugal)
Marfilmes (worldwide)
Release date
  • 15 May 2006 (2006-05-15) (Portuguese TV premiere)
Running time
52 minutes
CountryCape Verde
LanguagesPortuguese
Creole
English subtitles
Budget2,000

Synopsis

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African slaves were first brought to Cape Verde by Portuguese settlers in 1462. These slaves brought with them the cultural rhythm and music which would become Batuque: a musical form punctuated by drums while participants danced in a circle. The dance, repressed during the Colonial era, has been adopted as a symbol of the Cape Verdan cultural identity. The film seeks to document the dance form through interviews and performance by the musical group Raiz di Tambarina.

Cast

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Production

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Batuque, the Soul of a People was Silvão's first film. He participated in a course with the Africadoc network before beginning production. The film was initially pitched by Silvão in Senegal, filmed in Cape Verde and edited in France.[4]

Reception

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Release

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The film was screened in Lisbon in November 2010, with the filmmaker in attendance, before traveling to festivals in Brazil and the United States.[5] It had previously screened at Africa in the Picture, Netherlands,[6] the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival, Denmark, the 24th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Netherlands,[7] the Africa in Motion film festival, Edinburgh, Scotland,[8] and the AfryKamera Film Festival, Poland.

References

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  1. ^ "Soirée musicale capverdienne". La République des Pyrénées (in French). 9 June 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  2. ^ "8/9: BloomScreen Film: Batuque, the Soul of a People". BloomBars. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Batuque. Cape Verde, 2007". Marfilmes. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Júlio Silvão: "The closing of Cape Verde's movie theaters is an affront to culture"". A Semana. 15 June 2007. Archived from the original (Interview) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Júlio Silvão Tavares mostra "Batuque, A alma de um povo" em Lisboa". A Semana (in Portuguese). Cape Verde. 15 November 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  6. ^ "Batuque/ Batuque, a alma de um povo. Cape Verde Islands 2006". Africa in the Picture. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Batuque. Júlio Silvão Tavares, France / Portugal". International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 2014-09-25. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Films". Africa in Motion. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
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