The music of Cape Verde
Capo Verde, Terra d’Amore: Cesária Évora’s songs in Italian
Ten volumes in which the most beautiful songs of Cesária Évora and Cape Verde’s great songwriters become Italian, sung as duets by Cape Verdean voices and big names of Italian music. A project by Alberto Zeppieri, for a good cause.
In short“Capo Verde, Terra d’Amore” (“Cape Verde, Land of Love”) is a series of 10 CDs created by Alberto Zeppieri: the songs of Cesária Évora and Cape Verde’s great songwriters adapted into Italian and sung as duets by Cape Verdean and Italian voices, such as Gianni Morandi, Ornella Vanoni and Gino Paoli. The proceeds go to the school meals programme of the UN World Food Programme.
The project
When morna learns Italian
The songs of Cape Verde, in the Creole they were born in, enchant even those who don’t understand the words. The idea behind “Capo Verde, Terra d’Amore” was to imagine them as if they had been born in Italian.
The adaptations are by Alberto Zeppieri, a journalist, record producer and songwriter from Friuli, Milanese by adoption and Cape Verdean by choice, who has a home on the island of Sal. The Italian lyrics respect the original meaning and were written in agreement with the songs’ authors and publishers.
Often the songs were sung by the authors themselves or by the voices of the original versions, in duet with Italian artists: the Cape Verdean voices include Cesária Évora, Teófilo Chantre, Lura, Nancy Vieira, Tito Paris, Mariana Ramos, Elida Almeida and Mário Lúcio.
- Volumes
- 10 CDs, plus two vinyl records
- Created by
- Alberto Zeppieri
- Produced by
- Numar Un, a non-profit from Friuli
- With
- Lusafrica and Sony Music
- In support of
- the school meals programme of the UN World Food Programme
How it began
A challenge that started in Friuli
The project grew out of a challenge: to make the music of Cape Verde known, understood and loved in Italy and around the Mediterranean too. Cesária Évora’s songs enchant even those who don’t understand Creole; Alberto Zeppieri tried imagining them as if they had been born in Italian, and then having them sung together by Cape Verdean and Italian voices. The record was produced by Numar Un, a non-profit from Friuli, with Lusafrica and Sony Music; the recordings were made by Roberto Cetoli at the Accademia Recording Studio in Verona.
- 2009 · Volume 1 – the songs of Cesária Évora and Teófilo Chantre in Italian, with Gianni Morandi, Ornella Vanoni, Gigi D’Alessio and Cesária Évora herself.
- 2010 · Volume 2 – Lura, Ron, Peppino di Capri and Massimo Ranieri join in.
- 2012 and 2013 · Volumes 3 and 4 – with Gino Paoli, Stefano Bollani, Fabio Concato, Iva Zanicchi and Giusy Ferreri.
- Volume 5 – Cape Verdean music goes jazz, with Paolo Fresu, Fabrizio Bosso and Enrico Pieranunzi.
- 2015–2019 · Volumes 6, 7 and 8 – new Cape Verdean voices such as Nancy Vieira, Mariana Ramos and Elida Almeida; the eighth was presented on the island of Santiago at the Cape Verdean music awards.
- 2021 · Volume 9 – with Mário Lúcio, Milton Nascimento and Boa Vista’s own voice, Celina Pereira.
- Volume 10 – the latest, with Drupi, Tosca, Alberto Fortis, Frida Bollani Magoni and Tito Paris.
Who it helps
A record that feeds children
The proceeds from sales go to the school meals programme of the UN World Food Programme, which also helps the children of Mindelo, Cesária Évora’s home town.
Cesária Évora was an ambassador for the World Food Programme from 2003 until her death on 17 December 2011: the series carries on her commitment.
All the artists, Italian and Cape Verdean, take part free of charge, on the same terms for everyone.
To continue the series with new volumes and new encounters between the two musical traditions, and to bring Cape Verdean culture to an ever wider audience.
A voice from Boa Vista
Celina Pereira, “Bubista”
The ninth volume also features Celina Pereira, a primary school teacher and storyteller, who in 1979 released her first record with a title close to our hearts: “Bubista”, meaning “from Boa Vista”.
All her life she collected and told the stories, nursery rhymes and traditions of Cape Verde, including in award-winning audiobooks, and she had prepared a collection of tales about the history of the island of Boa Vista. She passed away on 17 December 2020, but not before giving the series the introduction to the song “È breve la notte” (“The night is short”), which she wrote and entrusted to the voice of Giovanna Famulari.
- First record
- “Bubista”, 1979
- Profession
- teacher and storyteller
- In the series
- Volume 9
- Song
- “È breve la notte”
Where to buy the CDs
Take the series home, and help the children of Cape Verde
All the volumes in the series are on the project’s official website. The special-edition vinyl records are also available from Azzurra Music, and you can listen to the full tracks on Apple Music.
Listen
Eight duets to listen to
Press ▶ to hear a clip of the tracks from the series.
Crepuscolare solitudine (Crepuscular solidão)Cesária Evora & Gianni MorandiVol. 1Listen to the full song on Apple Music ↗- Buona vita (Roda vida)Ornella Vanoni & Teófilo ChantreVol. 1Listen to the full song on Apple Music ↗
La voce dell’amore, voz d’amorCesária Evora & RonVol. 2Listen to the full song on Apple Music ↗
La parola (Perdonare) (È preciso perdoar)Ornella Vanoni & Gino PaoliVol. 4Listen to the full song on Apple Music ↗
So già (Sodade)Dorota Miskiewicz & Stefano BollaniVol. 3Listen to the full song on Apple Music ↗- La mia piccola città (Petit pays)BungaroVol. 1Listen to the full song on Apple Music ↗
- Amori, libramorLuraVol. 2Listen to the full song on Apple Music ↗
Danza con me, CriolaDrupi & Tito ParisVol. 10Listen to the full song on Apple Music ↗
30-second previews provided by Apple Music; the link takes you to the full track.
The voices of Cape Verde
Some of the Cape Verdean singers in the series
The Italian voices
Where two musical worlds meet
The singers on the volumes of the series include Gianni Morandi, Ornella Vanoni, Gino Paoli, Massimo Ranieri, Antonella Ruggiero, Fabio Concato, Iva Zanicchi, Gigliola Cinquetti, Stefano Bollani, Paolo Fresu and, on the latest volume, Drupi, Tosca and Alberto Fortis. All the artists take part free of charge.
The proceeds from sales go to the school meals programme of the UN World Food Programme, for which Cesária Évora was an ambassador from 2003 until her death.
The fifth volume reinterprets Cape Verdean songs as jazz, with musicians such as Paolo Fresu, Fabrizio Bosso, Enrico Pieranunzi and Stefano Bollani.
All the volumes, news and contact details are on the project’s official website: capoverde-italia.it. Where to buy the CDs.
Frequently asked questions about “Capo Verde, Terra d’Amore”
What is “Capo Verde, Terra d’Amore”?
A series of 10 CDs, begun in 2009, in which the songs of Cesária Évora and Cape Verde’s great songwriters are adapted into Italian and sung as duets by Cape Verdean and Italian voices.
Who created the project?
Alberto Zeppieri, a journalist, record producer and songwriter from Friuli who has a home on the island of Sal. He wrote the Italian adaptations in agreement with the songs’ authors and publishers.
Where do the proceeds from the CDs go?
To the school meals programme of the UN World Food Programme, for which Cesária Évora was an ambassador from 2003.
Which Italian singers take part?
Among others, Gianni Morandi, Ornella Vanoni, Gino Paoli, Massimo Ranieri, Antonella Ruggiero, Fabio Concato, Iva Zanicchi, Gigliola Cinquetti, Stefano Bollani, Paolo Fresu, Drupi and Tosca. They all take part free of charge.
Where can I buy the CDs?
On the official website capoverde-italia.it, on the discography page; the vinyl records are also available from Azzurra Music. You can listen to the tracks on Apple Music.
Sources: official website of the “Capo Verde, Terra d’Amore” project (capoverde-italia.it, pages Chi siamo, Discografia and Stampa), release dates of the volumes from Apple Music; October 2026.