The translation of sodade from Kriolu to English belies the power of it meaning and its significance to the Cape Verdean people. Loosely translated it means longing or yearning. But to ole country Cape Verdeans it has a much broader significance, a visceral and all encompassing sensation. Its energy soul searing.
Had God intended the Cape Verde islands to be inhabited she would have done so long before Diogo Gomes arrived in 1456. But nonetheless the Portuguese came and brought slaves from what today is Senegal.
This blog is not about the population and cultural development of this archipelago but rather about the love for a place that was largely unrequited. Drought and famine gripped the islands from 1580 to 1959. During that time tens of thousands died of starvation and disease.
The resulting diaspora spread Cape Verdeans around the globe. Today more Cape Verdeans live abroad than on the islands, with the United States, specifically New England being a primary port of call.
But families did not emigrate together. They could not afford that. The dispersion, in many cases, physically severed families, husband from wife, sons from siblings. With females less able to find employment they were often left behind to follow later or to remain on the islands. Some families sent only their children to live with relatives abroad, with the instructions to find work and send money back home.
This unholy manifestation of grief and sorrow while fracturing the family unit strengthened the emotional bonds to each other and to the place they called home.
The words of the song Sodade sung by Cesaria Avora, the "barefoot diva" as she was known, exemplifies the circumstances and the endurance of hope. "Sodade di es Nha terra ...", the longing for my land. She goes on to sing in Kriolu, If you write to me, I'll write to you. if you forget me I'll forget you, until the day that you return.
The journey from Cape Verde to America was an arduous one in those times. Returning to the island did not become a reality until well after Cape Verdean independence in 1975. So combined with the longing for the homeland, was the longing for family, extended family and childhood friends. In many cases never to be seen again.
In those few idle hours, between sleep and toil, on a quiet night or a stormy day, these times of reflection brought a special sadness, the sting of circumstances beyond ones control. The Cape Verdeans have coined an expression to describe this feeling "Sodade ta matam", the longing is killing me. The phrase seldom spoken aloud but rather murmured quietly often accompanied by a quickly stifled tear. Soon the sensation of loss and longing gives way to the demands of daily life, retreating until the next quiet moment.
For the most part, the "ole folks", those who had emigrated here were stoic and long suffering. They had low expectations. They quietly absorbed their misfortune and carried their disappointment close to the vest all while remaining fiercely determined. To the next generation who did have expectations and disappointments the advice "konsedju" was concise, "sufri kaladu" suffer in silence. In contemporary English, suck it up. How many times had I heard the words, "the world doesn't owe you a living?" Thankfully I learned that lesson early.
But near the end, this sense of yearning and loss is amplified as it becomes clear to those elders that they would not be returning home, loved ones had passed and opportunities for improving one's circumstances had blown away on yesterday's wind. "Sodade" combined with a prayerful hope remains their final earthly expression as they slip their mortal coil. Morna, the music of Kabuverdu plays in their ear as the words—"Dios ba ku bo" is heard followed by an unspoken reply "Dios fika ku nhos."
Another generation has left us, as we learn the meaning of "Sodade."
Peter M. Browne