Malaquias Costa

Malaquias Costa was born in Corvo, in Ribeira Grande de Santo Antão, on December 25th 1925. He went to São Vicente when he was 15 years old, fleeing from his parents. Music was always part of his life. He learned to play with B. Leza and Luís Rendall, two references of the cultural panorama of Cape Verde. He soon became a man of Cape Verdean nights in Mindelo.

The musician accompanied the barefoot diva, Cesária Évora, in some shows around the world, having also participated in the recording of the album "Miss Perfumado". Also, as a soloist, she took her music to countries such as Italy, Germany, Brazil, the United States of America and Portugal.

Irreverent and known for his resourcefulness on stage, Malaquias Costa had been debilitated for some time. In June 2011, Jorge Sousa, Constantino Cardoso, Zizi Vaz, Manecas Matos, Betina Lopes, Edson Oliveira, Noel Fortes and the group Serenata came together to honor and thank this handful artist who could bring his violin to life on stage.

At the time, these artists highlighted the enormous talent of Malaquias Costa, who never recorded any solo work. However, their compositions are part of some collections and their music and the sound of their violin animated many nights in Mindelo and Cape Verde.

Always active and dynamic, Malaquias Costa was the highlight of one of the allegories of the group Monte Sossego, the area where he lived, on Tuesday Carnival 2013 in São Vicente. Joyful, he danced, sang and waved throughout the parade. It's a case of saying that he lived and died happy.