Jose Afonso

José Afonso was a Portuguese singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of Portugal's folk and protest music scene. His music played a significant role in the resistance against the dictatorial Estado Novo regime, making him an icon in Portugal. Afonso's song "Grândola, Vila Morena" was used as a radio-broadcast signal by the Portuguese Armed Forces during their military coup operation in the morning of 25 April 1974, which led to the Carnation Revolution and the transition to democracy in Portugal. Subsequently, Afonso's music, along with "Grândola, Vila Morena," became emblematic of the revolution, anti-fascism, the Portuguese labor movement, and the political left. Afonso was born in Aveiro in 1929, to a magistrate father and a primary school teacher mother. He spent his childhood and adolescence in Angola, Mozambique, and Timor, where his parents were posted as colonial administrators. He returned to Portugal in 1938 and settled in Coimbra, where he completed his secondary and university education. He studied law at the University of Coimbra and became involved in the academic and musical traditions of the city. He joined the Orfeon Académico de Coimbra and the Tuna Académica da Universidade de Coimbra, and became a prominent performer of the Coimbra fado genre. He also developed a keen interest in politics and social issues, and joined the Portuguese Communist Party in 1953. In the 1960s, Afonso started to move away from the traditional fado style and experimented with other musical influences, such as folk, jazz, blues, and African rhythms. He also began to write songs that expressed his political views and criticized the oppressive regime. He was one of the founders of the Coimbra New Song movement, which aimed to create a new musical language that reflected the reality and aspirations of the Portuguese people. He collaborated with other singers and songwriters, such as Adriano Correia de Oliveira, Luís Cília, Manuel Freire, and Sérgio Godinho, and influenced a younger generation of artists, such as Fausto, Vitorino, and José Mário Branco. He recorded several albums, such as Baladas e Canções (1964), Cantares do Andarilho (1968), Traz Outro Amigo Também (1970), Cantigas do Maio (1971), and Venham Mais Cinco (1973), which are considered classics of Portuguese music. Afonso's songs were often censored or banned by the regime, and he faced constant harassment and surveillance by the political police. He was arrested several times and prevented from performing in public. He also faced difficulties in finding record labels and distributors for his albums. Despite these obstacles, he continued to produce and disseminate his music, often with the help of clandestine networks and underground organizations. He also participated in numerous concerts and events that supported the democratic opposition and the anti-colonial struggle. He became a symbol of resistance and a voice of hope for many Portuguese people who dreamed of freedom and justice. Afonso's most famous song, "Grândola, Vila Morena," was chosen by the Movimento das Forças Armadas (MFA), a group of dissident military officers, as the second signal for the start of the coup that overthrew the dictatorship on 25 April 1974. The song, which praises the fraternity and equality among the people of the town of Grândola, was broadcast by the Rádio Renascença at 00:20, confirming that the MFA had taken control of strategic points in the country. The song became a rallying cry for the revolution and was sung by thousands of people in the streets during the following days. Afonso himself joined the celebrations and performed his songs in several places, such as the Lisbon Coliseum and the Almada Forum. After the revolution, Afonso continued his musical and political activity, supporting the MFA, the workers' councils, the land reforms, and the independence of the former colonies. He also expressed his solidarity with other liberation movements around the world, such as those in Chile, Nicaragua, and South Africa. He recorded more albums, such as Coro dos Tribunais (1974), Com as Minhas Tamanquinhas (1976), Enquanto Há Força (1978), and Fura Fura (1980), which reflected his engagement with the social and cultural changes that were taking place in Portugal and abroad. In the early 1980s, Afonso was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease that gradually paralyzed his muscles and affected his speech. He recorded his last album, Galinhas do Mato (1985), with great difficulty, using a synthesizer to compensate for his vocal limitations. He spent his last years in Setúbal, where he received the support and affection of his family, friends, and fans. He died on 23 February 1987, at the age of 57. He was buried in the cemetery of Setúbal, after a funeral that gathered thousands of people who paid tribute to his life and work. His legacy remains alive in the memory and culture of Portugal, where he is widely recognized as one of the greatest and most influential Portuguese artists of all time.