Music as a Compass: Musical Resistance of the Cape Verdean Diasporic Community of Cova da Moura in Lisbon, Portugal

This thesis seeks to analyze music as a tool for the resistance and cultural survival of the neighborhood of Cova da Moura on the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal. Cova da Moura was built by residents themselves on unoccupied land by Cape Verdean immigrants in the 1970s and 1980s, and is known as a strong hub for the Cape Verdean culture. It has been heavily stigmatized by the Portuguese media and government, and continuously faces threats of demolition. Beyond threats of demolition, residents of Cova da Moura also face poverty and police violence. Through interviews conducted during the summer of 2025, song lyrics, and secondary data, I argue that music plays a significant role in sustaining the survival and re-creation of culture in Cova da Moura. Music in Cova da Moura facilitates this survival and re-creation of culture through the use of the Cape Verdean language, Kriolu, in music and daily life, preservation of traditional Cape Verdean music as a form of collective memory, and its power to innovate and mobilize.