This month, the French label Hot Mule launched a compilation based on the work of José Carlos Schwarz to showcase the music of the Guinean activist, a central figure in the culture of Guinea-Bissau who died in 1977.
"I heard some of Zé Carlos' songs on some mixtapes and fell in love with the song 'Na Kolonia'. It was love at first sight. I didn't understand what he was saying, but I was captivated. I started to become obsessed with him, I looked for his records, I tried to research his story, which is exciting and fascinating, and then I spoke to his family, who were very generous in entrusting me with this mission," Louis Hautemulle, the head of the label, told Lusa.
The compilation "Lua Ki Di Nos" brings together songs from the two albums that José Carlos Schwarz released with Cobiana Djazz in the 1970s, on the French label Sonafric, which also includes compositions by another of the great figures of Guinean music, Aliu Bari, a founding member of the group, along with Mamadu Bá and Samakê.
"Acclaimed by African giants such as Orchestra Baobab [Senegal], Letta Mbulu [South Africa] or Miriam Makeba (the South African singer with whom he recorded his first and only solo album), Zé Carlos and his poetry have earned a place in the annals of Guinea-Bissau. However, this collection of songs remains unjustifiably unknown outside the country and its diasporas," said the Paris-based label, which is dedicated to reissuing obscure records.
In the context of the liberation struggle, the group played a key role in reviving the identity of Guinean culture, reviving traditional musical genres such as gumbé and singing in Guinean Creole, the publisher explained.
This attitude earned them an emotional connection with the Guinean people.
JGA // TDI
Lusa/Fim
