Somewhere off the coast of Sao Tomé in the mid 1950s a steely frenetic sound spills over from the cargo ship’s bunkers. Fast and grating, an 18 year old Victor Tavares punched his labored hands into the keys of his most prized possession, an accordian, over a two month boat ride to his native Santiago, Cape Verde’s capital archipelago. Destined to become funaná legend, Victor aka Bitori was first met with harsh colonial oppression from fear of the rural sound’s subversive powers. Later, in 1997, the silver mustachioed musician went…
