The Portuguese empire was widespread during the age of the explorers, seeming to take every country or piece of land in their path, including the archipelago of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean, 385 miles west of Senegal. Only slightly larger than Rhode Island, the islands were uninhabited on their discovery in 1456, and became part of Portugal in 1495. Today, they are their own country whose 450,000 inhabitants have become a blend of many different ethnic groups resulting in a genetic mixture from centuries of migration. It is not unusual to encounter dark-skinned people with blond hair and blue eyes, or children with fair skin and jet black hair. Racial discrimination is unknown to these Creole-speaking people. The islands are of volcanic origin and, though their name would seem to mean “green” as in “Verde”, because of their proximity to the Sahara they are mostly dry, arid, dusty, and mountainous.
They also seem to be pretty laid back, evidenced by the popular local adage “No Stress” proclaimed on t-shirts and souvenirs, likely an attractive feature for the two young flip-flop trodding American backpackers I watched wander into the sparse, local hostel. And, likewise, the local Mindelo town maps were rustic and inaccurate, which made any discovery of the city sites a random, happy surprise. But, on a quest to find fresh bananas to take back to our suite, we did find the local fruit and vegetable market and a few other points of interest among the candy-colored colonial buildings and fairly well-paved streets, where pedestrians had the distinct and surprisingly universally accepted right-of-way without a second glance.
At the other end of a small and restful town plaza, I found the local art museum in this city which claims to be the cultural capital of Cape Verde. It featured a funky display of vintage record players, turntables, mid-century stereo consoles, and LP album covers from musicians of their country. In contrast, upstairs was a small exhibit of the work of some contemporary artists of textiles, cloth dolls, ceramic figures, and pottery.
I never really knew of Cape Verde before arriving there and wondered if the Portuguese didn’t just make a wrong turn and bump into this unassuming place by pure and unlikely chance, on their way to a more deliberate conquest.
Great summary of this wonderful place!
So looking forward to hearing about your experiences. Enjoy!!