Elisa Tavares is a scholar, linguist, and researcher specializing in Cape Verdean Batuku, a traditional oral, musical, and dance form. She earned her doctorate at the University of Freiburg and published her influential dissertation in 2016 on authenticity, identity, and change in Batuku. Her work combines linguistic, anthropological, and musicological approaches to document Batuku’s history, resilience, and transformation into an important symbol of Cape Verdean cultural identity. She has also translated Batuku lyrics from Kriolu to English and written liner notes for the I Hope you Change production.