Octogenarian Cape Verdean Guitarist Reflects on Island Music, History（2/2）

Even as recent as five years ago, the Cape Verdean government asked for international aid after a bad harvest.

But Violao says things are changing for the island.

"I grew up in a different time when people were dying of hunger, now, more Cape Verdeans and donors are giving the island money. I am happy with how the islands are doing."

On average, Cape Verdeans earn more than most of their West African neighbors, about $2,000 a year, and their country is no longer considered one of the world's poorest countries. It is set to become, officially" class="hjdict" word="officially" target=_blank>officially, a middle-income country at the end of this year.

Violao says the music is also changing. Whereas, he says, it changed little before independence from Portugal some 30 years ago, young musicians now are creating more modern genres like this one.

But even with these changes, the island guitarist is not ready to stop singing the hundreds of morna songs he has memorized.

This father of 30 children, married to his 11th wife, says there will always be plenty of reasons to sing morna.