Batuque, the Soul of a People (French title:Batuque, l'âme d'un peuple) is a 2006 documentary film written and directed by Júlio Silvão Tavares about the batuque musical group Raiz di Tambarina, and roots of this musical genre in Santiago, Cape Verde.

[1][2][3] African slaves were first brought to Cape Verde by Portuguese settlers in 1462.

The dance, repressed during the Colonial era, has been adopted as a symbol of the Cape Verdan cultural identity.

The film seeks to document the dance form through interviews and performance by the musical group Raiz di Tambarina.

[4] The film was screened in Lisbon in November 2010, with the filmmaker in attendance, before traveling to festivals in Brazil and the United States.