(headline image: Mário Lúcio – Photo by Omar Camilo)
Mário Lúcio Sousa (born October 21, 1964) is a prominent Cape Verdean composer, singer, author, painter, and former politician. From 2011 to 2016, he served as Cape Verde’s Minister of Culture. Throughout his multifaceted career, Sousa has played a significant role in shaping the archipelago’s artistic and intellectual landscape, both nationally and internationally.
Sousa experienced personal hardship early in life. He lost his father at age 12 and his mother three years later, after which he and his seven siblings were raised in the military barracks of his hometown under the guardianship of Cape Verdean armed forces. In 1984, he received a scholarship from the Cuban government to study in Havana, where he completed his academic training six years later. Upon returning to Cape Verde, he practiced law and later entered politics, serving as a member of parliament from 1996 to 2001.
Notably, Sousa founded the group Simentera, a pivotal ensemble in the revival and modernization of Cape Verdean traditional music. His creative vision also extended to national representation at major international expositions, including Expo ’92 in Seville and Expo ’98 in Lisbon, where he authored the country’s musical projects.
As the founder and director of the cultural association Quintal da Música, he has contributed to the preservation and dissemination of traditional Cape Verdean genres. A registered composer with SACEM (Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Éditeurs de Musique), Sousa has written songs performed by Cesária Évora and other renowned artists. Additionally, he is the permanent composer for the Raiz di Polon dance company, the only contemporary dance troupe in Cape Verde.
In 1996, he produced Nôs Morna, the debut solo album of legendary Cape Verdean vocalist Ildo Lobo. He also composed the music for the theatrical production Adão e as Sete Pretas de Fuligem, commissioned by Porto’s European Capital of Culture program. His live performances span the globe, with appearances in Brazil, Cuba, various African nations, and European festivals such as FMM Sines in Portugal.
Beyond music, Sousa is also active in literature and visual art. His 2009 novel Testamento, published by Dom Quixote, was well received, and his subsequent work Biografia do Língua (2014), a fictionalized exploration of language and cultural identity, earned the Miguel Torga Literary Prize in 2015. He has also participated in group art exhibitions and contributed to Cape Verdean theater and poetry scenes.
Following the 2011 elections, Sousa was appointed Minister of Culture, a role he held until 2016, succeeding Manuel Veiga. During his tenure, he advocated for the institutional recognition of Cape Verde’s intangible cultural heritage and supported the country’s growing international cultural presence.
In 2022, Sousa released Migrants, his tenth album and the first to be arranged and produced by a European musician, Portuguese multi-instrumentalist Rui Ferreira. The album marks a stylistic evolution while maintaining Cape Verdean musical foundations. According to the artist, “In this album, I wanted my soul to be read by another.” This collaborative approach underscores the album’s thematic emphasis on migration, cultural hybridity, and human universality.
The lead single, Migrants (Shakespearience), addresses a real-life 2008 incident in which a tourist ship in the Mediterranean rescued a boat of deceased migrants—only for the tourists to later sue for emotional distress. Sousa presents this narrative as a metaphor for the dehumanization of migration, asserting, “Singing is a form of protest, a fight against oblivion, an act of faith and hope.”
In 2025, marking fifty years since Cape Verde’s independence, Sousa released Independence, a concept album reflecting on the post-colonial trajectory of Lusophone Africa. A vocal proponent of creolization, he uses this body of work to celebrate cultural mixing as both a historical reality and an artistic imperative.
In 2025, Mário Lúcio earned a spot at WOMEX, the prestigious world music expo held in Tampere, Finland
Discography:
With Simentera:
Raiz (Lusafrica/Sunny Moon, 1992)
Barro E Voz (Mélodie/Indigo, 1997)
Cabo Verde En Serenata (Piranha/EFA, 2000)
Tr’Adictional (Mélodie/Indigo, 2003)
Solo:
Mar e Luz – Sea and Light (2004)
Ao Vivo e outros – Live and Other (2006)
Badyo (2008)
Kreol (2010)
Funanight (2016)
Migrants (Banzé, 2022)
Independence (Maremusica, 2025)
Author: Iliana Cabrera
