Cape Verde's 'Barefoot Diva' Dies

Cesária Évora, the Cape Verdean singer known as the “Barefoot Diva” because she performed without shoes, has died at the age of 70.

The singer, who won international acclaim with her sultry voice and melancholy ballads of lost love, died Saturday in a hospital on her native island of Sao Vicente.

Évora retired in September because of health problems. She underwent open heart surgery last year.

Évora was the best-known performer of “morna,'' Cape Verde's national music.

Her 1995 album, Cesaria, was released in more than a dozen countries and brought the entertainer her first Grammy award nomination. She won a Grammy in the World Music category several years ago for her album, Voz D'Amor.

Photo by Bremond: Cesária Évora in concert, 14 November 2009, at the Rockhal of Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.

Cape Verde's Former President Aristides Pereira Dies

Cape Verde's former president Aristides Pereira, a leader in the country's fight for independence from Portugal, has died. He was 87.

Government officials say Mr. Pereira passed away Thursday at the University of Coimbra Hospital in Portugal, where he had been hospitalized since early August. Early reports did not indicate a cause of death.

The Lusa News Agency says Mr. Pereira was initially hospitalized for a fractured femur complicated by diabetes.

The former president co-founded the African Party for Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde in 1956. Cape Verde won independence in 1975 and Mr. Pereira became the first president of the the island country, located off the coast of West Africa.

He remained in the post until 1991 when he lost in Cape Verde's first democratic elections.

The Lusa News Agency quotes Minister of Health Cristina Fontes Lima as saying Mr. Pereira's death is “a major loss for the nation of Cape Verde” and that details about his funeral will be released soon.

Photo: President Aristide Pereira of Cape Verde departs after a state visit. Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA), 4 October 1983. Photo by U.S. Military.