2018 Thesis Document

Tania Camara 11391405 The Soul of a People: Batuku an Everyday Holistic Healing Practice of Cape Verdean Women Figure 1: A Batuku Performance, Batukadera Azul (2016), painting by Luis Levy Lima University of Amsterdam (July 2018) Submitted in part fulfilment for the MA of Artistic Research "1 Contents Page "2 The Soul of a People: 1! Contents Page 2! Abstract 5! Introduction 6! Relevance of Research 6! Background/Context of Research 7! Overall Objectives 7! Methodology 8! Outline of Case Studies 9! Theoretical Framework 10! Short History of Cape Verde 12! Illusion of the Civilising Mission 13! History of Famine in Cape Verde 14! Slavery and Food Production 16! The Cape Verdean Diet: a Survival tactic 18! Forced Emigration: New mode of African Enslavement 20! Chapter One: What is Batuku? 21! History of Batuku 21! The Interdependent Features of Batuku: Finason, Txabeta and Torno 22! 1.1 What is Finason? 23! 1.2 What is Txabeta? 24! 1.3 What is Torno? 25! Kriolu in the composition of Batuku 27! External relations of Batuku: Colonial Spectres 29! Always in a Circular Motion 32! Everyday Practices 33! Batuku as Embodied Memory and Knowledge 36! Chapter Two: Reaching Higher Consciousness through the Txabeta 38! Further exploring ‘Da Ku Torno’ 39! The Black Male Gaze 43! The White Male Gaze 44! The Oppositional Female Gaze 46! The Presence of the Physical Body 47! The Element of Trance in Batuku 49! Generating Aesthetic Space 50! Batuku, Resistance against Colonial Rule 52! Batuku, a rehearsal for rebellious acts 53! "3 Sing in the Name of Freedom 56! Batuku, becoming a National Symbol 58! Social Call and Cultural response 61! Conclusion 66! Further research 70! Illustrations 71! Artworks 71! Bibliography 72! Journals 73! Videography 73! Youtube Videos Used 74! Websites 74 "4 ! This work aims to explore what a Batuku performance is and what role it Abstract plays in the everyday lives of Cape Verdean women specifically during times of crisis, such as famine. This thesis examines every aspect of Batuku a) the finason, b) the txabeta and c) the torno. In order to understand what this performance is, what knowledge is embodied in it and how it was used during the Cape Verdean revolution that led to independence. Batuku Performance is represented as a holistic practice that has been and continues to be cultivated by Cape Verdean women, it is a mode of education, memory preservation, social affirmation, communication and resistance. It is the legacy of ancestors that survived the Maafa. ! Keywords Batuku, Performance, Cape Verdean Revolution, Africanness, African Spirituality "5 Introduction Relevance of Research The research on the practice and performance of Batuku (Batuque or Batuko means ‘to beat’) is relevant because it is a tradition from the island of Santiago that is under represented in academia and artistic practice. Since, my artistic practice is interdisciplinary and consisted of all the aspects of Batuku, spoken word, dance, music and performance. And I am doing a research masters’ that aims to bridge the gap between artistic practice and theory, I decided to research my own practice alongside my Cape Verdean heritage and my relationship with Batuku. This is not an attempt to classify Batuku in western frames of music, dance or cultural conceptions but rather an open exploration of the practice in terms of performance, ritual, improvisation and a form knowledge production. The cultivation of this practice has allowed for Cape Verdeans to formulate a hybridised identity and representation of themselves that derives from the their own image. The question I have been asking throughout my research has been what does the black African female body look like in resistance and not in despair, since I am interested in generating alternative images for the black African woman. For this purpose I want to use the concept of Sankofa, which means, ‘we must return and claim our past in order to move toward our future. It is in understanding who we were that will free us to embrace who we are now.’ (DeGruy, 2005: 6) This concept will enrich the research further because it speaks not of origins, (or returning to an origin) but rather to the idea of using historiography from the past in the present, taking what used to be great about the self and bringing that knowledge into the present. This concept is important because it allows for the discussion of gender politics within this thesis to be centered within an African philosophical framework. I want to focus on Batuku and how it became a platform of visibility for Cape Verdean women, because for most of Cape Verdean history women have occupied an invisible and silent position and in the performance, they are visible in every sense. "6 Background/Context of Research The current research on Batuku is based on its musical structure, the scholarly work on the subject of Batuku falls under the fields of Ethnomusicology, anthropology and musicology (Cardoso 1983; Castro Ribeiro 1993, 1994, 2004, 2006, 2010, Cruz 1981; Hurley-Glowa 1997, 2001 and 2005; Lopes 1949 and Varela da Silva 1985, 1988 and 1990). As well as Batuku as a form of resistance but the research done by Katherine Carter and Judy Aulette (2009), was short and superficial since it explored the practice in relation to colonial oppression and did not examine in depth what makes/ made Batuku such a power practice and performance. Batuku has not been studied in its entirety, but separately either as a music genre or a dance, there are 3 basic components that make up Batuku, the Finason, the Txabeta and the Torno, through all of these mediums a story is narrated. I want to analyse Batuku as an interdisciplinary art form that incorporates three separate genres that stand on their own but when they come together they tell a story, a Cape Verdean national narrative. I will take a different approach by analysing the practice and performance of Batuku as a holistic and/or spiritual practice. Therefore, I will explore this aspect of Batuku, by analysing it in depth its relation to African cosmological philosophies, the representation of African women in Batuku and African spiritual practices and finally the call and response structure and how this helped build community and sisterhood. Overall Objectives The main aim/objective of this thesis is to research the cultural practice of Batuku and its cultivation during the famine of 1947 to independence in 1975. In order to investigate what role Batuku played, as a cultural practice as well as a form of healing for Cape Verdean women throughout this colonial period. I want to investigate how Batuku can be seen as a form of resistance against colonial rule, "7 resistance in everyday practices, a form of embodied knowledge, a communal memory preserver, an identity constructer, a form of liberation and release from everyday hardships, as an everyday ritual performance, a carrier of cultural values, a carrier of the kriolu language; and a form of healing. The question being explored throughout this thesis is in what ways could performing/practicing Batuku during the periods of 1947 to 1975 in Cape Verde serve as an act of self-claiming, self-defining and resistance for women. In order to investigate this topic, first there has to be an understanding of what the practice of Batuku entails and its history, alongside the history of slavery, colonial governance and famine in the archipelago. Methodology This research will use a non — empirical approach due to the time restrictions and lack of funds. I will examine archived material of the practice, such as, documentaries about the Batuku Groups, to begin with, Batuque: A Alma de Um Povo (2004) a documentary that follows the history of Batuku from the early settlement on the islands by the Portuguese and enslaved Africans, to the development and cultivation of the practice in this globalised era. This is done through the story of the Batuku group Raiz di Tamabarina (1971) here the members narrate their relationship with the practice from their first encounter to now. The group is one of many traditional Batuku groups but, their have a very interesting story because they are one of the few groups that was ‘officially’ founded straight after independence was gained. And so, in some of their songs they highlight the Cape Verdean experience as it was happening, particularly in the case of the famine. Secondly, Documentário Tradison di Terra (2011), where group Tradison di Terra discuss their development trajectory, how and why they formed a group. And what they have achieve as a group for the larger Cape Verdean culture on the national and international level. Followed by the their CD and DVD "8 Nós Bandera (2011) and the group Kultura Esperansa’s CD and DVD Realidadi (2009).1 I will also analyse Finason/Batuku singer Nacia Gomi (Gomes) who was one of the oldest batukaderas of Cape Verde, in this instance, the focus will be on the performer rather than on the music itself. I want to explore Nacia Gomi as a performer, the way she delivers her finason, how her body is incorporated into her delivery of the finason and her playfulness. This documented material of Batuku facilitates the investigation of what the practice is and how it works and compensates for the lack of testimonies by practitioners about the practice. As well as official documentation from the colonial era that demonstrated the spaces the practice occupied in Cape Verdean society. However, there are many disadvantages in working only with documented materials, for starters, because Batuku is a practice that uses oral history as a form of documentation, it is extremely difficult to find original materials that have not been influenced by the archivist and directors of the material.

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