Controversy in the candidacy of Morna to UNESCO.
The Cape Verdean government has denied the existence of false stories related to the nomination process for morna to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site . Abraão Vicente, the country's Minister of Culture, stated that the classification obtained in 2019 was a "great achievement" for Cape Verdean culture.
In response to statements by musician Paulino Vieira, who claimed that the candidacy dossier contained false stories, the minister said that the candidacy was built on the basis of the scientific and technical capacity of the Cultural Heritage Institute and was validated by UNESCO.
the controversy
The morna is a musical genre typical of Cape Verde, which emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, and is usually accompanied by viola, cavaquinho, violin and piano, with the guitar as an “instrument of excellence”. The musical style is considered a symbol of Cape Verdean culture, which unites different generations and social classes around its history and rhythms.
The government of Cape Verde has defended the importance of the candidacy of the morna as world heritage, noting that it is an integral part of the identity of the Cape Verdean people.
However, the singer and multi-instrumentalist, Paulino Vieira, in an interview conducted this weekend with the Lusa news agency, stated that the dossier “ contains false stories ”, namely “ recordings in which other people are playing ”, but that he said it was him playing.
“A document approved worldwide, with three fallacies discovered in it, already gave the right to be disqualified. UNESCO was and is and will continue to be irresponsible for having approved a folklore that it does not know”.
“The morna became a victim of a flagrante delicto, in which her story is falsified and defrauded in a document that was approved worldwide”.
“When I worked the morna, I didn't do it to be a world heritage, but to be respected in any part of the world”.
“It didn't have to be State property, because Cape Verdeans themselves had the right to defend their morna”.
Paulino Vieira pointed out, in the interview with Lusa.
The answer
In response, Cape Verde's Minister of Culture, Abraão Vicente, said that considering that "if it were easy, someone would have done it before" and recalled that the candidacy was not based only on the history of Cesária Évora, but on the history of the people Cape Verde, including the daily lives of humble people such as fishermen, carpenters and bricklayers.
We are talking about an opinion, from the IPC [Institute of Cultural Heritage], from the entire technical staff that made the candidacy of morna, from UNESCO, from all the international specialists who validated the candidacy of morna”, he insisted, saying, for that reason , it is just an opinion.
"I must say emphatically that it is false, because the validation of the candidacy is done based on testimonies and the acceptance of those who practice the genre".
“The big national scandal is that it seems that almost no one has studied the candidacy dossier of the morna to intangible heritage of humanity”.
“Four years later, people still insist on talking about a morna candidacy, as if it had been an abstract thing”.
According to the minister, the candidacy was built based on the scientific and technical capacity of the IPC, on the consulting capacity and validated by UNESCO, an agency of the United Nations.
Paulino Vieira and Morna
Paulino Vieira, one of the most renowned Cape Verdean artists, is one of the most important names in the morna. In addition to being a singer, Vieira is also a composer, arranger and producer, having played several instruments in his career, including piano, guitar, cavaquinho, percussion and harmonica.
Vieira left the big shows in 1996, continuing, however, to create his music, which, he said, belongs to the world and has no borders. Singer, composer, arranger and producer, he plays several instruments, having stood out in the piano, guitar, cavaquinho, percussion and harmonica.
Recently, Vieira presented a show at the Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB), in Lisbon, in which he showed the versatility that characterizes him, in a show dedicated to workers. The musician has a vast repertoire of new songs, which, according to him, have no borders and are intended for all people who share his genius.
Conclusion
Controversies aside, recognition of the morna as a world heritage site is seen as an important achievement for Cape Verde, which has been internationally recognized for its rich cultural tradition. The morna's candidacy was approved by UNESCO in 2019, becoming the first cultural expression from Cape Verde to receive this distinction.
What do you think of this controversy surrounding Morna's candidacy? Do you agree with Paulino Vieira's position? We want to know your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article, share and give a “like/like”.
Picture: © 2018 Augusto Brazio
