Funaná was prohibited by the Portuguese colonial rulers. Performing it in public or in urban centres had serious consequences - often jail time and torture awaited musicians that were “caught in the act”. The women's hip movements were too sexual for the Catholic principles of the Portuguese, and the Cape Verdeans were good at rebellion and killed so many Portuguese men, that they we're wary when they gathered in large groups to dance. There curfews to prohibit the gatherings but people would still take the streets to dance. In light of such persecution the genre of Funaná began to slowly disappear.
In 1975 Cabo Verde achieved independence from Portuguese colonial rule. Along with Cabo Verde’s independence came a lifting of the ban placed on Funaná. The musical repercussions in Cabo Verde were plenty - many upcoming artists embraced Funaná, translating and adapting its musical form in new ways. It was not to be until the mid-1990’s, however, that Funaná in its traditional form was actually recorded.
