Performance - 8 July 2006
Formed in 1980 and led by dual singer-songwriters Gimo
Remane and the charismatic Zena Bacar (previously a
fishing woman from the Island of Mozambique), the group
has always made an effort to maintain the traditional
rhythms of their home in Nampula province such as tufo,
namahandga, masepua, djarimane, morro and chakacha,
but also take inspiration from a cosmopolitan mix of Latin
and Arab styles from the Island of Mozambique: the delicate
lilting Portuguese-influenced guitar cuts across sliding Arabic
rhythms. The Island of Mozambique linked to the mainland
by a 3.5 km toll bridge. Eyuphuro's music reflects the
island's role as a meeting point of African, Arabic and Latin
cultures dating back to the eighth century, which has created
a fusion of musical influences.
Eyuphuro soon became the most successful music group from Mozambique.
In 1989-91 their tours of Europe and USA garnered much critical acclaim and they recorded "Mama
Mosambiki", one of the greatest recordings ever produced from the region, an album that became one of the
first releases on Peter Gabriel's Real World label. Zena Bacar got known as the "golden voice of
Mozambique" with powerful vocals belt out songs of lost love, the destruction of marriages and what life is
like for women in Mozambique. Eyuphuro's lyrics come from a Mozambican context and from and from the
heart. "Mama Mosambiki" deals mainly with the social and cultural relations of men and women in modern
Mozambique: it criticizes, for instance, the old traditions that leave a wife with nothing after a divorce and
celebrates the resilience of women in the face of men's negative attitudes. This sympathetic focus on women
is very refreshing.
Unfortunately, various circumstances prevented the band from continuing with
thei r success. Eyuphuro soon dissolved amid family tragedy and dissension.
Nevertheless after a ten year break this superb and soulful band have happily reformed thanks to the efforts
of producer Roland Hohberg. The comeback album "Yellela" made it to the second position in the World
Music Charts in 2001 and the band performed on various festivals in Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Brazil
and Zanzibar. "Yellela" has its strongest charge in its combination of music and social comment. Zena and
new member Issufo Manuel both provide vocals and compositions for the album. "Yellela" speaks through
complex rhythms, irresistible riffs and a musical harmony that demands attention: feelgood quality with quiet,
laconic meditations on women's rights or the plight of the continent.
In the following years Eyuphuro recorded new song material
for the album "25 Anos" and the album "Watana". For the
extensive comeback tour in celebration of the 25th band
anniversary the Eyuphuro sextet invited the singer Ali Faque.
In distinguished company of great singers Zena Bacar and
Issufo Manuel, this 38 years old albino will prove that he is
one of the remarkable voices to emerge from Mozambique.
No group better demonstrates the great musical
potential of this often overlooked giant of a cou