Carnaval in Cape Verde

One of the events that is celebrated in many countries of the world is Carnaval or Carnival.

In this respect, Cape Verde is no exception. Each of the islands, from Sal to São Vicente, celebrates the festival of Carnaval. While the historical details of Carnaval may vary by location all over the world, in general, it was either derived from African slaves celebrating their freedom from slavery, or in other contexts, it was the last fling preceding the stringent religious observances of the 40 days of Lent. These are the general themes of the history of Carnaval.

Whatever the specifics of the history in any particular locale might be, the fact remains that today, residents and visitors, young and old alike can participate in the activities by either officially joining a group of costumed revelers or simply jumping into the non-costumed groups of party-goers dancing in the street.

Participating in the celebrations is perfectly safe and a ton of fun. And as for those who prefer to stand at the sidelines while others have all the fun ... it's an interesting study in the humanity that connects us all. Either way, it is certainly an enjoyable lesson in Cape Verde's history and culture.

Here is a brief clip of school-children participating in the history and culture of their nation.

So, plan to visit any of the islands of Cape Verde for Carnaval and let your hair down just a little.

Getting around in Cape Verde

One area that many tourists have questions about when visiting any destination is how to travel around within the country or city being visited. In Cape Verde, the transportation industry is quite developed. The infrastructure is in place for road, air and sea travel. You'll find that the conditions vary by island given population sizes and state of development of each of the nine inhabited islands.

Car Rentals
Roadways are increasingly being paved. Over 25% of the roads are paved and the unpaved roads are not places you would have imagined anyone driving on anyway. So driving yourself around is very doable. However, car rentals are relatively expensive at around €45-80/day depending on the type of vehicle you rent. There are quite a few choices for car-rental agencies and you'll even find a few in the airports on your arrival.

Don't expect turn-by-turn GPS! LOL. In fact, you'll promptly and often get lost even with detailed maps because none of the streets have street-signs although the streets all have names. I've often wondered what is the point of naming a street if no-one can actually see the name? And if you're the adventurous type and want a good laugh ... just stop and ask a resident for directions! It's not that Cape Verdean's are not a friendly lot, but you simply will not get there.

Be aware that Cape Verdeans love their cars. So don't smack into anyone! And watch out for the guys who will offer to wash your car at every turn.

I would strongly advise that you not drive at night if you don't know the roads really well. If you decide to rent, please be safe.

Cape Verde's musical ambassadors

Suzanna Lubrano

Music is the universal language. There are as many dialects of music as there are countries; probably more since some countries practice several dialects of music. And each country has its "ambassadors" of music - those individuals who bring a country's music to the world; in the same manner that you might think of Bob Marley as Jamaica's musical ambassador.

Cape Verde has several such ambassadors. Most music fans around the world may recognize the music of Cape Verde through its eldest musical stateswoman, Cesaria Evora, the country's first Grammy Award winner. The musical style she croons is called Morna. There is a haunting beauty in these melancholic songs. The music is meant to be romantic or even philosophical. It is fitting for the background of a romantic candle-lit dinner.

Cape Verdeans emigrants play morna when they experience sodade or nostalgia. Listen to the videos below of Cesaria and of Lura, a talented cantadora born in Portugal of Cape Verdean parents. You'll probably be in tears before either song is done!

Would you like to learn to speak Kriolu?

Although the official national language of Cape Verde is Portuguese, locals universally speak a dialect called "kriolu" (creole) in their day to day lives. Kriolu is the lingua de casa (the language spoken in the home). Portuguese is reserved for official functions, legal contracts, and to conduct formal business events.

Portuguese is also used in the schools as the language that is used to teach all subjects, which seems an awfully strange and inefficient means of educating students when most kids learn to speak kriolu before they can speak Portuguese. It is also surprising that kriolu has not been made the other official language of Cape Verde since it is one of the things that is the basis of its unique culture. Most songs are sung in kriolu! But I digress, and will leave that matter for the politicians.

Here's a little historical background on kriolu:

The term Kriolu is derived from the Portuguese word Crioulo, which in turn is derived from "criar" meaning “to raise” and "olo" defined as “house - a typical African house in the Portuguese African colonies."

The slaves deliberately created Kriolu as a language they could use to communicate among themselves yet not be understood by their owners. The colonizers did not want to welcome Kriolu because it would have jeopardized their absolute power to control the situation. Therefore, they tried unsuccessfully to eradicate the Cape Verdean language and their cultural identity.

Professor Agnelo Montrond, Massasoit Community College, Boston, Massachusetts

It is not particularly necessary to learn kriolu or Portuguese if you are planning to visit the island for a brief period because many Cape Verdeans are multi-lingual and you will find that you will be able to communicate relatively easily in whatever language you're comfortable. Whether you're out shopping, going to a restaurant or just hanging out at your hotel, you'll find someone who can speak your language.

Cape Verde's enduring Jewish heritage

It may come as a surprise to many visitors since there are no remaining people of the Jewish faith practicing in Cape Verde. About 95% of the population today is Catholic or Protestant. But, in the five hundred years immediately following its colonization, there was an influx of thousands of Jews fleeing religious persecution in Spain and Portugal. Many of the early Jewish settlers were Sephardim who came by way of Morocco and Gibraltar. And in more modern historical times (the 1800s) many immigrants of Jewish descent arrived in the islands to seek economic opportunities.

Many of the Jews who settled in the Cape Verde islands married local Catholic women and made contributions to the islands economic, cultural and religious heritage. There are thus many Cape Verdean descendants of the original Jewish settlers who cherish and celebrate their Jewish ancestry even to this day including a former prime minister and president of the archipelago.

For visitors who wish to explore Cape Verde's Jewish heritage, there are several physical items that remain to tell of the legacy of the Cape Verdean Jews. In particular, there are four Jewish cemeteries: there is one on the island of Boa Vista near the entrance to the Hotel Marine Club, another within the main cemetery in the capital city, Praia, and two on the island of Santo Antao.

Cape Verdean youth ... what are they like?

One important indicator of any nation is the state of its youth. If you are a visitor to the Cape Verde islands and are wondering what the nations young people are like - either because you are thinking of visiting, working or living in Cape Verde, the video below will give you a very good idea, or you are just curious. It shows that Cape Verde's youth are, in some ways, typical of youth everywhere. They enjoy much of the same things that young people everywhere enjoy. But in other important ways, they may be different that youngsters in other more developed nations. As you can see in the video, they are more respectful and welcoming of other cultures than you may find in other places in the world. This is evidence of the Cape Verdean morabezza or hospitality at work.

If a country's future is measured by the example of its young people, then Cape Verde has a very bright future ahead of it.

Sodade d'bo!

If you are not in Cape Verde right at this moment, this video shows what you are missing! The Cape Verdean expression is sodade d'bo or "missing you".



Enjoy the video (by Jose Guerreiro). In my opinion, it's probably one of the best you'll find online, combining every aspect of the daily life and culture of Cape Verde. And the music expressing the haunting tones or morna may even bring a tear to the eyes of those Cape Verdeans who are living in foreign lands. Sodade d'bo indeed!

A spectacular video intro to Cabo Verde, the "Jewel of Africa"

Here are a couple of videos. The first is a brief introduction to the history and culture of Cabo Verde narrated by Tim Reid, a well known American actor and film director. The second describes the geography and climate of the islands.

Both videos cover each of the islands within the archipelago including a look at the relevance of each to the nation's geography and culture.

Respect for the women of Cape Verde

Today, I thought I would speak a little bit about a topic that is not really discussed among Cape Verdeans, and that is "assedio sexual" or sexual harassment, especially in the workplace. That is not to say that this issue is not a problem elsewhere in the world. But it is especially important that Cape Verdean men pay close attention to this issue.

Cape Verde is a rising star among lesser developed third world countries. As the country grows via local and foreign investments, especially in tourism, the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace and the related issue of domestic abuse and violence towards women, all of its citizens should be able to fully participate in the uplifting of the country.

There are several key impacts that the men of Cape Verde must consider:

Speaking of art and artists ...

Speaking of art and artists, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention some of the talent from the island of Sao Vicente, the "cultural capital" of the archipelago. In particular, I'm going to focus on two of the artists although there are many examples throughout Cape Verde.

First, Edith Borges. Her talent began in her early years as a child. Later in high school, she began to work with water colors. Her friends recall her as the student who loved to draw and paint; she would give her creations to her classmates as gifts when she was finished with them. She later received a scholarship to study in the then Soviet Union. She earned a Master's degree in Fine Arts from the Moscow Institute of Fine Arts. Her studio is now located in the distant city of Malmo, Sweden, but her heart and her paintings exude only the morabezza of her native land.

Next, is a talent who has remained completely local, was educated in Sao Vicente and plies his trade there. His name is Severo. I don't know much detail about the artist's life story. But I do know that he lives a humble life and goes unrecognized by the outside world. But you should take the time to discover his talent. You can find a large number of his works displayed at the beautiful Santantao Art Resort in the island of Santo Antao ... the hotel lobby is covered with his remarkable paintings. And if you'd like custom work done, this is the man who will paint the walls and ceiling of the foyer of your home or apartment in Cape Verde.

Cabo Verde International Film Festival 2011

This year, 2011, is the second year for the Cape Verde International Film Festival taking place on the island of Sal, October 13-16. Here is a sample from last year's festival.


CVIFF Workshop Video 2010 from CVIFF on Vimeo.

The master-mind behind the festival is the talented executive producer, Suely Ramos Neves, partner at V!VA Imagens. Suely tells me that the festival is an excellent platform "to bring together Art, Cinema, and Industry; the program for 2011 promises creativity and entertainment through submitted films, special film screenings, the art of cinema workshops, cultural activities, comedy, improvised theater and much more."

You can also find more about the Film Festival on its Facebook page.

There is a lot of creative and artistic talent in "dem dere" islands ... so be there or be square!

Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican?

The first time you meet someone of Cape Verdean ancestry, you may be forgiven for holding this mental image due to the common African and European roots which leads to an external resemblance between some people of the two islands. But these two islands are otherwise figuratively and literally worlds apart in terms of their history and culture, and the experience of their emigrant communities in America.

No one knows this better that Claire Andrade-Watkins, Associate Professor of Visual & Media Arts at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Ms. Adrade-Watson is a second generation Cape Verdean-American and film-maker. She directed and produced the critically acclaimed documentary, "Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican: A Cape Verdean American Story (2006)" that tells the story of the displacement of the Cape Verdean community in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1960s due to urban renewal and gentrification.

Picking up where the previous documentary left off, Ms. Andrade-Watkins is in the post-production phase of a second highly anticipated documentary, "Atlantic Portals," the second in a planned trilogy and will be introduced at the Cabo Verde International Film Festival, October 13-16, on the Island of Sal. in Cape Verde. Be sure to check out the link to the film festival.