Bana's family express "deep repudiation" of the release of his duet with Zerui de Pina

The youngest daughter of the late Cape Verdean artist, Luz Gonçalves, who spoke on behalf of the family, told Inforpress that the feeling is one of "deep repudiation and indignation" that the launch was carried out "without any authorization, consent or prior knowledge" of the artist's family.

"We deeply regret that, under the pretext of a supposed tribute, an act is being perpetuated that in no way honors Bana's memory," said the same source.

"We deeply regret that, under the pretext of a supposed tribute, an act is being perpetuated that in no way honors Bana's memory," said the same source.

For Luz Gonçalves, Zerui de Pina's attitude carries with it an "enormous lack of respect" for dignity, work and artistic quality, values that her father always defended and which are part of his legacy.

"Our position stems from the deep respect we have for Bana's legacy, and the responsibility we feel to ensure the preservation of his memory, his work and the values he always defended throughout his life," he reiterated.

More than a legal issue, the release of the song, he stressed, is above all a matter of principle and ethics, since any initiative involving the name, voice or image of the late singer must be conducted with "transparency, dialogue and respect for the family and the artistic legacy itself".

However, according to Luz Gonçalves, what happened was the opposite, a one-sided act of "undue exploitation" of her father's memory and talent, with the aim of taking "some kind of personal gain, even if disguised, under the guise of a tribute, because the main form of tribute is respect".

The daughter said that the family had tried to contact the artist Zerui de Pina directly, but had only received a reply saying that they had obtained permission from Bana, even though the singer had been dead for some years.

For this reason, the relatives are asking for the immediate withdrawal of the release from all platforms where the song is available, as a way of making reparation for the act committed and of respecting the artist's memory.

In the event that this withdrawal does not take place voluntarily on the part of the artist and all those involved, the family, he stressed, reserves the right to appeal to the competent judicial bodies.

"We are, as always, open to dialogue, but firm in defending what is fair and due to the memory of our husband and father," Luz Gonçalves said in her statement to Inforpress.

The release of the single "Amor Sofredor", on digital platforms, took place on the 11th of this month with the artist Zerui de Pina recovering a duet with the late singer Bana, recorded more than 16 years ago in the United States.

Also in a conversation with Inforpress, on the day of the musician's birthday, Zerui de Pina said that his intention was to continue fulfilling his promise to "grace" his fans on this occasion with a single, after having released a song in tribute to the artist Biús last year.

Inforpress/End