Wako Kungo presents 'Lusothopia'
Produced and created by Mistah Isaac
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Date
- 19:00 / Cancelled 19:00 / Sold out Saturday, 19:00
Location
Open-Air Amphitheatre Gulbenkian Garden
Summer Garden 2025 hosts Wako Kungo, a platform dedicated to the valorisation and promotion of independent artists from different disciplines and backgrounds.
Created in 2022 by Mistah Isaac, Wako Kungo’s mission is to boost emerging talent by providing them with opportunities for growth, visibility and collaboration within the creative industry.
With a focus on the fusion of music, art and culture, the platform has already collaborated with various cultural events and initiatives, consolidating itself as a space for artistic expression and innovation.
As well as Mistah Isaac, the collective currently includes Diaza, Abolaji Colins, Caio, Paulo Quinjica, Emílio Lobo, Sara Gabriel Piu Piu, Célio Cardoso, Gari Sinedima and Jery Keys.
About the concerts
This year, the Summer Garden invites us to embark on a journey of sound where the soul dances and the body recognises itself.
From Fado to Funaná, from Semba to Gumbé, from Axé to Mbalax, passing through the eternity of Soul Music — each rhythm will be a compass and each song a territory.
To the sound of these ancestral and contemporary beats, we will land in the living imagination of countries such as Senegal, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Brazil and Portugal.
Places where time becomes a drum and memory is sung with eyes closed.
A true celebration of what unites us: the pulse of freedom that resists, persists and insists on being a party.
— Dino D'Santiago
Summer Garden 2025
This event is part of Summer Garden 2025, a free admission festival with concerts, DJ sets, talks, films and dance. Learn more
Biographies
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Abolaji Colins
Renowned Nigerian producer and guitarist, currently based in Lisbon, Abolaji Colins stands out as one of the most prolific and versatile musicians on the Afrobeat scene. He has collaborated on numerous hit songs with artists such as Reekado Banks, Password, L.A.X, Runtown, Ajebo Hustlers, Omah Lay, Vector, Zoro, 1da Banton, Asake, King Promise, Sarz, Sarkodie, Lojay and Camidoh. He has worked with a number of artists, establishing himself as an indispensable reference in the world of contemporary African music.
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Caio
Caio grew up surrounded by the dream of music. Born in Sintra, he started singing at the age of three and never abandoned his musical career. He was deeply influenced by his mother, a former teacher in Angola. With a firm determination since childhood, Caio defined music as his life’s mission. His art is an extension of his vision of the world. Through music, he seeks to share not only his voice, but also the intensity of what he feels and sees.
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Diaza
Diaza is a multifaceted artist with a passion for music that began during her childhood. She stood out in the semi-finals of Portugal Got Talent (2022) and won 3rd place in The Voice (2024). With influences ranging from Soul to R&B and Rock, she released her first EP, Land of Unicorns, in 2003. She has appeared on stage with the band The Pickups and with Wako Kungo, performing on several renowned festivals such as Imimente and Rock in Rio.
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Célio Cardoso
Célio Cardoso is an Angolan guitarist and composer based in Portugal, known for his versatility and musical sensitivity. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with several renowned artists on the Portuguese music scene, such as Bispo, Peculiar, Inês Apenas, SYRO, among others. His original project, Jzaugust, was born out of a desire to explore new sound languages and assume his own artistic identity and moves between genres such as Afro-Jazz, Kilapanga (traditional Angolan rhythm) and BlueJazz, fusing African influences with modern and jazzy elements.
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Emílio Lobo
Emílio Lobo is a Cape Verdean drummer who stands out for his versatility, musicality and striking stage presence. His rhythmic language crosses genres such as Jazz, Funk, R&B, Afrobeat and traditional African rhythms. He began his musical apprenticeship in church and has built up a solid career, collaborating with various projects and renowned artists on the Lusophone music scene. He is currently a member of Dino D’Santiago’s band, touring with the artist, and has played with names such as Julinho KSD, among others.
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Gari Sinedima
Gari Sinedima is an Angolan musician and composer. His music fuses African styles with soul and world music, reflecting a rich and authentic identity. He came to prominence in 2011 when he wrote Piluka (Dançar) for DJ Djeff’s international album, gaining international recognition. He collaborates with various artists and has been a regular presence at several prestigious events. He is also currently dedicated to teaching, giving singing and performance lessons, contributing to the training of the new generation of Angolan musicians.
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Jery Keys
Born in Zango, Luanda, Jery Keys is an Angolan pianist and keyboard player. Despite the difficulties he had in accessing an instrument of his own at the beginning of his career, he never gave up on music and remained steadfast in his purpose. With strong influences from great pianists such as Cory Henry, JustinLee, Jesus Molina and, especially, the Korean Yohan Kim – his greatest reference – Jery has developed his own style, deeply connected to genres such as Jazz, R&B, Gospel and NeoSoul. These styles have become part of his musical identity.
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Mistah Isaac
Mistah Isaac (Angola, 1986) was born in Luanda’s vibrant Cazenga neighbourhood. Passionate about musicians like Miles Davis, Miriam Makeba and Bob Marley, he started playing guitar at the age of 16. He became an international musician, taking his fusion of African rhythms with Western influences to various parts of the world. In 2022, he founded the Wako Kungo platform to support independent artists. He curated the Dutch Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. As well as being a musician, he is an actor.
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Paulo Quinjica
Paulo Quinjica is an Angolan violinist who has been making a name for himself on the music scene since 2010, when he joined the prestigious Kaposoka Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, he also joined the Luanda Camerata Orchestra. In 2023, he moved to Portugal to further his studies in classical music, joining the AMAC conservatory. He is currently studying at the University of Évora, in the field of Music, under the guidance of renowned violinist Carlos Damas.
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Sara Gabriel Piu Piu
Sara Gabriel Piu Piu is a versatile bassist and multi-instrumentalist with influences ranging from Jazz to Pop, Rock, R&B, Soul and World Music. She began her musical career at the age of 8 on the guitar and, from an early age, she also became interested in the drums, inspired by her father, a drummer in various bands. Self-taught and passionate about music, she furthered her studies at the Jobra Professional Music School between 2019 and 2023. She is currently a member of various musical projects, including Jzaugust, Diaza, Mau Feitio, PopFiction and Marisa Lopes.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation reserves the right to collect and keep records of images, sounds and voice for the diffusion and preservation of the memory of its cultural and artistic activity. For further information, please contact us through the Information Request form.
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