Viktor is a friend from the Boa Vista island of Cape Verde. Our paths crossed by chance while filming a documentary there. Viktor’s music resonated deeply with the themes of our documentary, so we ended up recording a few songs with him. Most of Viktor’s songs are nostalgia flavored hymns to the wives and children that masses of people like Viktor left behind on their home island, urged to make their way to Boa Vista to find better ways of making a living. Saudade is how the people here refer to this deep emotional state of longing for the absent, a warm expression of melancholia that can be experienced in Viktor’s song to his wife Anna.
Viktor shares a living space with a group of five friends. Their paths crossed here on Boa Vista, where a warm friendship is filling in the void of the families left behind. Their home is a modest construction, the kitchen being an improvised corner in the room and showers are taken by carrying buckets into the backyard. While their material possessions are little and some lack a job, their generosity towards each others is abundant. Everything is shared selflessly. For the jobless Viktor, the contributions to this community are constituted by the sounds of his music.
Music here is more than a stimulus for the senses, it is an essential nourishment in the challenged everyday lives of these people. Although Viktor’s music has never enjoyed a large audience and is mainly shared with the few people living around him, the impact of his music is profound, coloring and soothing the daily lives of these people with nourishing melodies. Joy here is found in these simple things.
The twist in the story is that Viktor is being challenged by a health issue. A malicious foot infection is preventing him from being able to stand or walk for too long, hampering him in his attempts of finding a job to make a living. Moreover, without proper medical treatment, an amputation of the foot will become unavoidable in the long run. I’m inviting you to watch the video below to learn more about Viktor’s situation and how together we can help Viktor get back on his feet.
If Viktor’s music or story resonates with you, you are invited to send a donation of any amount through this website. I will be making sure all the money we collect will reach Viktor in person [*]. In any case, you are welcome to freely download Viktor’s songs from the SoundCloud links below and share them with others. I look forward for us to raise enough money together to allow Viktor’s healing to take place. I also look forward to buying him a guitar, enabling him to continue to sing joy and lightness into the lives of these people.