The Great Cape Verde Adventure

Carnaval in Cape Verde

2012-02-22T08:32:00.000-05:00

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.

Cape Verde's First International Beauty Queen

2012-01-21T08:19:00.000-05:00

Ivanilda Reis (with permission of MWA Int.)

While there are beautiful people the world over, Cape Verde is reputed to have more than its fair share. As the old adage goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." But Cape Verde may put that adage to the test as there are more than a few Cape Verdeans who are undeniably beautiful by any measure. One such example is Ivanilda Reis.

On December 18, 2011, Ms. Reis, or "Vanny" as she prefers to be called, became Cape Verde's very first international beauty queen when she was crowned winner of the Miss West Africa International 2011 contest held in Banjul, Gambia. The contest included talented young women from 24 countries in West Africa. Vanny dedicated her win to the late Césaria Évora, Cape Verde's world reknown "Barefoot Diva", who passed away the day before Vanny's historic win.

Vanny, 26 years old, is a professional model with experience in Cape Verde and Brazil. She has an active and ambitious agenda. She is also a fitness instructor with a passion for health issues and healthy living. She had been the editor of the fashion magazine, Kriola, and is preparing to launch her own online fashion mag as well as her own branded line of clothes for women and men. She is now in the process of launching Cape Verde's first school for fashion models. Her goal is not simply to teach students how to become successful models but to educate these youth in business subjects so that they can be successful business-women and men who are able to make there way in the world when they are no longer on the fashion stage.

Furthermore, Vanny is a youth leader in Cape Verde who is actively involved in charitable causes. Her charity in Cape Verde is called WeDoCare and its mission is to assist seniors in Cape Verde. According to Vanny, "the issues of aging are well known in America, Europe and Asia. But Africa is a very young continent. So its seniors have become an invisible population whose issues have been lost among the issues of youth." With her win in Gambia, Vanny plans to raise the profile of the challenges faced by seniors, such as loneliness, immobility and health issues. She also hopes to raise donations through her cause, WeDoCare.

You can visit Vanny's page on Facebook to read more about her experiences. You'll also find the video below on her page where you may also leave her your congratulatory comments or share her page, video or photos with your family and friends.

Vanny is also featured on the cover of the Miss West Africa International calendar. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the calendar will also be used to support Vanny's drive to help seniors all over West Africa.

Miss West Africa International 2012-2013 Promotional Calendar

Vanny Reis is more than just a woman who exhibits external beauty, a trait which can be fleeting. Much more than this, Vanny exudes beauty from within, like many of her compatriots. This is one reason to visit Cape Verde ... the internal warmth and beauty, or morabeza, of its people.

And if you would like a copy of the calendar, which is available in several languages, you can contact Vanny directly to receive one while helping to support her cause.

Brava - Cape Verde's Magical Island

2011-12-08T06:55:00.001-05:00

Nova Sintra

Brava is perhaps the most beautiful of Cape Verde's ten islands. Cape Verdeans call Brava, "the island of flowers." But this entirely misses the point of Brava's beauty.

It is a magical place. Before the arrival of the Cabo Verde Fast Ferry which now provides daily service to the island, Brava and its 6,000 residents were virtually cut off from the rest of Cape Verde, and by extension, the rest of the world. It is no surprise then that going to Brava is like a journey back in time to a period when life was simpler, to a place where you walk along narrow, country lanes lined with beautiful flowers. You won't find airports, shopping malls or large hotels here.

When you arrive at the small port town of Furna on the ferry, your first thought is whether anyone actually lives here. That's because the principal town of Nova Sintra is a 10 km climb from the port up into the mountains where Nova Sintra is nestled. Make sure you catch one of the Hiaces (mini-vans) which will transport you up the steep, winding road to Nova Sintra. Its not a journey you'll want to do on foot.

The ferry gets in at night so you may not have time to explore the port town of Furna. It's actually more lively that the capital, so if you get here on a weekend, perhaps you can check out the local tavern before heading up to Nova Sintra. I stayed at the quaint inn, Pensão Castelo (Eugenia 238-982-5786) in Nova Sintra. The room was spartan but clean and inviting. I've also stayed at the Dja Braba Hotel (Marcos 238-979-4934) which is the largest and most modern hotel facility on the island, and also has the best restaurant. Either place is a good base from which to explore Nova Sintra and the rest of the island, like the picturesque fishing village of Fajã d'Agua.

Picturesque Fajã d'Agua

Fajã d'Agua, is located in a beautiful setting - a wide bay at the foot of tree-covered slopes. It's a "must visit" if you spend even a day in Brava. A small cruise ship came into the bay on the day I visited Fajã d'Agua. I knew the place was in demand because there is no port in this village where large boats can dock. Instead, the visitors came ashore aboard small pirogues. Obviously, they really want to see this place ... or they would have stayed on the ship.

Be sure to visit the other side of the bay where there are natural pools between the steep cliffs. There's a well-maintained, safe path where you can walk down to the pools.

Lota at the Coqueiro Bar

The town has one cool bar, the Coqueiro, and an equally cool bartender, Lota. It's the place to get a well deserved drink after you've checked out the town. While you are sitting there having a drink, keep an eye out for the "old dancer" ... he is a crusty old fisherman with impish eyes. In order to actually see him, you must ask Lota to turn the music up. Whenever this "old dancer" hears music, he comes to the front of the bar and dances and mimes the music. He is actually mentally unstable. LOL. But he obviously loves to perform and he is quite entertaining. His name is Lastanha!

Now, to get to Fajã d'Agua, you have to take a Hiace (minivan), a Hilux (open tray pickup) or one of the two taxis on the island. I chose to go by taxi - Gabi's taxi that is! He is a friendly chap and good company for the trip. You can contact him at 238-989-8347, especially if you miss the Hiaces from the port at Furna. I guarantee he won't be too far away at any given moment.

Catia and Sofia - sisters meeting for the first time

There is definitely something magical about Brava that's hard to define. Here's another example. It's the story of Catia and Sofia - two sisters who are now both in there 20s and living in Cape Verde. Catia was born and raised in São Vicente, while Sofia was born and raised in Brava. Well they may as well have been born in different countries because they had never met ... until today. Catia works at the Fast Ferry company in Santiago. Sofia walked in to purchase a ticket to Brava. And just by happenstance, the ticket sales agent notices that Sofia's father has the same name as one of the employees who works on the port in Brava and wonders if Sofia is related to that port worker. She replies that they are not related. But the sales agent notices that Sofia also has the same last name as Catia who just happens to be sitting one desk away. He calls over to Catia and introduces the two women. Sofia mentions that she has a sister she has never met who is also named Catia but that this sister lives in São Vicente, not Santiago. Catia is stunned, she just arrived in Santiago one month earlier from São Vicente to work at the Fast Ferry company! Her father was born in Brava. The women compared names of their respective fathers and discover that it is one and the same father ... they are long-lost sisters!

And if you aren't yet convinced about the magic of Brava ... just take a day to visit. But first, check out this short-film about the romantic traditions of Brava: it is called Serenata de Amor, a love story told in song.

Finally. don't miss the slideshow below ... see if you can spot Brava's magical cow.

Charity in Paradise … Schoolbooks for Kids

2011-10-22T09:26:00.005-04:00

Nilton Gomes is a man with a big heart, an even bigger smile and the biggest desire to make a difference in the lives of children. He was born 24 years ago in the interior of the island of Santiago surrounded by rolling green hills. He grew up poor. He remembers his school-days as happy days. But he also remembers that his parents were too poor to buy the textbooks he needed for school. Each of these books cost about €3 or US$4. His parents had to choose between feeding their kids and buying the text books. It’s a very tough choice for any parent. His school, Escola de Salina, did not have the resources to supply him with free schoolbooks.

Despite those early challenges, Nilton eventually went on to success: he serving in Cape Verde’s military, obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and is now assistant manager of operations at Cabo Verde Fast Ferry in the capital, Praia. But he never forgot where he came from. He decided that he would give back to his community, the community that raised and nurtured him, by helping the students who are sitting in the same desks and classrooms that he sat in almost 20 years ago.

Nilton enlisted the help of his former teacher – Manuel Barreto – who coincidentally, also works at Cape Verde Fast Ferry. Today they are headed back from Praia through those beautiful rolling hills into the interior of Santiago to visit three schools in Salina, Santa Cruz and Achada Ponta; with 400 text books that Nilton purchased on his own account; to distribute them to the students whose parents cannot afford to purchase them; accompanied by the proud CEO of his company.

Twins girls receiving books

You could hardly imagine the joy on the faces of those students and their teachers … or the look of satisfaction on Nilton’s face, knowing that he had just made a dramatic difference in the lives of hundreds of other young Niltons. You can see for yourself in the slideshow below (feel free to Share the slideshow with others or download the pictures).

Nilton aims to raise hundreds of dollars to purchase books for the schoolchildren of Santiago every year from now on. You see, even though there are nearly half-million tourists visiting Cape Verde every year, little to none of the economic benefits generated by tourism directly reaches disadvantaged children in the Cape Verde's schools.

While it may not seem like much to most people, it is hard to appreciate the significant and immediate impact that even $5 or $10 can make in the life of a single child. Nilton Gomes understands this and was moved to act! If you want to help Nilton provide schoolbooks to kids in Santiago, you are welcome to donate to the Seventy Times Seven Ministries, a non-profit organization or NGO in the USA, which supports Nilton’s cause – Schoolbooks for Kids.

The influence of Cape Verde’s cultural heritage on its Diaspora

2011-10-17T23:16:00.000-04:00

Maritsa Barros is a young woman on a mission. Her goal is to make the world a better place for women.

But Maritsa is no ordinary young woman. While she’s interested in fashion like many women her age, her interest lies in starting a business in this arena in order to mentor young women and serve as a role model.

Maritsa has already started on her career path. She is an instructor at Barbizon, a top American agency for modeling, acting and self-development. Maritsa teaches all three disciplines to women from 14 through 19 years old. Maritsa wants to be a positive influence to enlighten young women to be confident, have self-respect and self-esteem, which are important characteristics for future success. She instills in her students a sense of purpose yet shows them that they can also be compassionate.

Maritsa was born in America to Cape Verdean immigrant parents who raised her as one of twelve kids in the strict tradition of Cape Verdean parenting. The first language she learned was Kriolu. She formally learned English as a student in school. At such a young age, Maritsa experienced a bit of a cultural identity crisis, as you could well imagine, given the cross-cultural blend of American and Cape Verdean values. She was unsure which culture to adopt. Yet, this was a very important part of who Maritsa has become today – as she matured, she took the best lessons of each culture and found a very happy medium between both cultures in her day-to-day life and her values.

Maritsa also strongly values education. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in African and African-American studies from University of Massachusetts. She also earned a Masters Degree in College Student Development and Counseling from Northeastern University, Massachusetts. She plans to pursue a PhD within five years.

Believe it or not, Maritsa is one of only a few people who have visited the island of Santa Luzia, the only one of the ten Cape Verde islands that is uninhabited and is now a nature preserve. She went on a science mission with a university group. How's that for showing her commitment to education? In all, she's been to seven of the ten islands.

In November 2011, Maritsa will be representing Cape Verde in the Miss Africa USA 2011 Pageant. This is the first time Cape Verde will be represented in this particular pageant since its inception seven years ago. When I asked Maritsa why she chose to enter a pageant, she responded, “This, is more than just a beauty pageant, and I am not doing it to win a crown; I am doing it because it gives me a platform to promote my message of inspiration, empowerment and education. If I win a crown, it will simply be a bonus.” Her attitude is best described as, “why try to fit in when you can stand out!”

I think you will agree with me that Maritsa Barros is not simply a beautiful, confident woman who is proud of her Cape Verdean heritage, but a beautiful person especially on the inside where it counts the most. And to top it all off, she’s also ambitious, intelligent and business-minded – this is a young woman who will not only serve as a role model for young women everywhere, she’s likely to become an extremely successful business-woman.

Visit Maritsa on her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/MissAfricaUSA.cv. Please give her a vote of confidence, and even take the time to send her a personal note via her "Contact Maritsa" link ... I'm sure she'd love to hear from you.

Is the Safe in your hotel room ... Safe?

2011-09-20T11:31:00.002-04:00

Take a look at this YouTube video.

Shocked? Did you know that there was a default unlock combination for your hotel Safe? I never thought about it till I watched this video! But I guess it makes sense that there should be one ... what if you forgot the code you used to lock it?

I'll tell you why this happens. It's because some hotel managers are just too lazy! The default combination for these safes can be changed by the hotel management. But of course in a hotel with hundreds of rooms, there are hundreds of Safes and it would be quite a lot of work to reset the default unlock code for each one. So hotel management takes the easy way out - they just leave the default code at the original factory setting! What the hotel management SHOULD do, is to develop a protocol for the combination for the Safes in the rooms. The default should not be left at the factory setting because it means anyone can get into your safe. You never know who to trust. Separate codes should be set for the Safe in every room! And only the hotel manager should have access to the list of default unlock codes by room.

So how do you protect yourself? I would suggest the following steps:

When you first check in, ask about the Safes in the rooms. Whether it is a Safe with a manual keyed lock or an electronic lock, you can be sure someone in the hotel has a backup key or unlock code in case you lose yours. Ask the front desk manager, "Who has access to the spare key or default unlock code to the Safe in my room?" You should know.
When you enter your hotel room, be sure that a combination of zeroes does not unlock the Safe after you have locked it! Complain to the hotel management if you discover this flaw in their protocols.
Most people travel with their digital cameras when on a trip. Take a picture of all your valuables that you are putting in the Safe just as you put them inside the Safe! While every hotel has a policy that states they are not responsible for the loss of your valuables, if you don't have any proof that you actually owned these items or that you actually put them inside the safe, you won't be able to "give them hell" if there is a theft. (Of course, you should keep the photos on an extra SD memory card that you store in your locked luggage, because you camera could be stolen).
If you are unsure about the security of the Safe or the hotel's protocols, or if the Safe is not securely bolted to the wall, leave your valuables inside you suitcase and lock it with your own combination lock. Always travel with a sturdy lock just for this purpose!
Before your trip, take photos of you valuables, take a scan of your Passport, drivers licenses, credit cards (front and back), and upload everything to a service like Amazon Cloud Drive. This way if anything is lost, or say your Passport or documents are stolen, you always have the visual images of them that you can access at anytime. Don't store these images on an SD card because it could be lost or stolen with all of your valuable identification documents on it.

Has your hotel Safe ever been robbed? Do you have any tips for ensuring the security of your valuables while on vacation? Please share them using the Comment box below!

The most beautiful woman in the world!

2011-09-15T20:27:00.001-04:00

The title of Miss Universe 2011 was won on Tuesday, September 12th, by Leila Lopes of Benguela, Angola, who became the first Angolan ever to win the title.

The stunning 25-year old beauty queen is a business major in London (now the luckiest city on the planet!) This modest lady believes that her smile is her best weapon.

In answer to one question that was asked of her, she said this: "Thank God I'm very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn't change a thing," Lopes said. "I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life."

And one of those wonderful principles is helping those less fortunate than herself. She works with poor kids in Angola and wants to focus on the fight against HIV around the globe.

So what does any of this have to do with Cape Verde? Well, Leila was born in Angola to parents from Cape Verde! So her heritage is Cape Verdean. In fact, Angola, is a popular destination for Cape Verdean immigrants because of its proximity and because they fit right in with the Angolans who also speak Portuguese and have a similar culture based on their common blend of African and European roots.

One of the hot topics in the blogosphere centers around black women and the Miss Universe pageant. While there have been many black contestants in the pageant over the years, there have only been three previous black women who won the crown. Two of those women, Janelle "Penny" Commissiong (1977) and Wendy Fitzwilliams (1998) hail from the Caribbean island, Trinidad & Tobago. The third black title holder was Mpule Kwelagobe (1999) from Botswana and she was actually crowned by Fitzwilliams, then the previous year's winner!

With Lopes' win, she did what only these three other women had done before her in the 60-year history of the contest - in a competition filled with women with the "western look," a dark-skinned, 5 feet 10½ inch tall woman with a bright smile, winning personality and brains to match, came out on top, putting Africa squarely back on the map for beautiful and talented young women and breaking negative stereotypes of African women.

I would be willing to bet there are a millions of people around the world who are also satisfied with the way God created Leila Lopes and the inner beauty possessed by women the world over.

Getting around in Cape Verde

2011-09-14T09:44:00.000-04:00

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.

Public Transportation

On the more populated islands and the tourist meccas like Santiago, São Vicente, Fogo, Sal and Boa Vista, it is easy to hail a cab for about €1-2 for short trips. In Santiago and São Vicente, you can take the bus for about €0.30. Be warned, the taxi drivers are certifiably nuts! I'm sure that's a world-wide phenomenon. Maybe the taxi drivers of the world have a secret association where they share crazy driving tactics.

Bus companies are all privately owned, so the service is relatively reliable and there are lots of buses. At least that's how a tourist would feel because they have nowhere to go, really. But just ask residents trying to get to work on time - they are likely to think there aren't enough buses and that they have to wait forever for the bus to arrive. LOL. Which bus do you take? Look, Cape Verde is so small that you can hardly go wrong catching any bus that comes. If it's the wrong one, you won't be too far from your destination and you'll see more of the place and more of the people ... you can always catch a taxi to the correct spot.

For longer journeys on just about all of the islands, you'll find a Hiace (private van) or Hilux (private pickup truck) is the only way to go. They are cheap at €1-3 each way depending on the island and depending on the distance. It's the best way to meet lots of locals as they are usually packed into the vehicles! But the music is great, if you like it loud. LOL.

By Air

If your goal is to move from one island to the next, there are two choices - by air or by sea. Cape Verde has three domestic airlines: TACV, Halcyon Air and Cabo Verde Express. TACV and Halcyon Air have the most robust domestic schedule using ATR 72s and ATR 42s, popular aircraft models used around the world for short-haul air transportation. However, TACV has a very poor reputation for service and on-time performance ... probably because it is the government-owned airline. Halcyon Air is the better choice as it is pretty much on time and the fares are somewhat cheaper.

TACV has more aircraft (3 versus 2) than so it has more scheduled flights and more connections than Halcyon Air. It also has international services to various European countries, Fortaleza in Brazil, Boston in the USA, and several African countries. But you've been warned ... don't expect top notch service.

Cabo Verde Express has 3 aircraft but they are very small 19-passenger LET 410 UVPs.

By Sea

One of the most recent developments in Cape Verde's travel industry was the introduction of Cabo Verde Fast Ferry which hailed a new era in inter-island maritime transportation. It is not that there were no ferries in Cape Verde prior to Fast Ferry's arrival in January 2011, it is simply that the ferry services were completely unreliable, slow and uncomfortable because they use very old vessels which constantly have maintenance problems. And several of the islands were not served except on an ad-hoc basis.

Now, with the advent of the Fast Ferry with sleek, modern, rapid craft and daily schedules for the first time, both residents, businesses and tourists have a meaningful choice for travelling between the islands. You can even reserve and purchase your tickets online - another first. You can even befriend Fast Ferry on Facebook.

Safety
Of course, the question that is surely on the mind of every tourist: "how safe is it?" The answer is that all of the travel options are extremely safe. If it's one thing governments are good at, it is regulation, and the transportation industry in Cape Verde is no exception, perhaps even to a fault (they even regulate the prices that can be charged by private companies!) So the good news is that you can rest assured that the operators of airlines, maritime vessels, taxis, buses and vans are all scrutinized by the regulators and are required to comply with various laws. Nothing is ever fool-proof, but I personally would not hesitate to use any of these options anywhere in Cape Verde. So go forth with confidence and explore more of these islands!

The Great Cape Verde Adventure is now on Facebook!

2011-07-17T13:38:00.002-04:00

Please take the time to visit our new Facebook Page. Click on the icon on the left to visit the page.

It's a well designed page with a nice, user-friendly interface. You'll find all of the blog posts, videos and more in one place on Facebook, which you can access on your desktop or you mobile device. We hope you enjoy it.

If you're a Facebook user, don't forget to click the "Like" button to access all of the content. And don't forget to share the page with your friends and associates.

Finally, please leave comments on the page if you have suggestions for how to make it even better and more engaging for visitors. We appreciate your patronage.

The Boys from Ponta Preta

2011-06-27T18:02:00.001-04:00

This is a story about courage, the courage to pursue your dreams regardless of your circumstances in life. It is the story of a young man, Mitú, and his friends, Titik and Djo of Sal, Cape Verde. They all shared a dream to become windsurfers even though they did not have the resources to do so.

They watched the tourists windsurfing the world-class waves at Ponta Preta and determined that one day, they too would learn. They were quite resourceful. They began by helping the tourists, carrying their boards and getting up close to the action to observe and learn how things were done. Then they volunteered to work at one of the local kite and equipment rental shops so they could make a little money to rent and eventually buy their own equipment.

It's also the story of the passion that these young men had for the sport. One of them, Mitú (Oteniel Jorge Monteiro), would eventually go on to become a two-time Kitesurf World Champion almost sixteen years later starting in 2008 when he was 25 years old.

Yet, that is not where the story ends. It's also about entrepreneurship. You see, winning a world championship doesn't pay the bills. These childhood friends started their own kite surfing shop and slowly built it up to a thriving business serving the tourists who visit Sal with rentals and clinics aimed at the enjoyment of kite surfing activity on the island. They also mentor younger Cape Verdean boys who dream of one day becoming champions.

Click on the "more" link below to see the amazing documentary film, directed by Thierry Albert and produced by Sophie Ebrard & Pundersons Gardens, that tells the powerful story in the Boys own words!

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And here's a fun video that shows the champion having a little kite surfing fun. Doesn't it just make you want to go out there and take a couple lessons?

The 3rd leg of the Kite Surf Pro (KSP) Professional Wave Tour 2011 will be held in Sal, Cape Verde, from December 2 till December 12. The world champion will be crowned there. So if you happen to be in Sal during that time, enjoy the competition. But please stop by and look up the Boys from Ponta Preta.

Cape Verde's musical ambassadors

2011-06-27T00:10:00.002-04:00

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!

Then there is the lively, dance music called Funana. This is where you get to shake your booty to the musical beat. You can dance alone or as a couple. Dancing to Funana is enjoyed by young and old alike and is often played at Cape Verdean parties. The most well known Cape Verdean ambassador of Funana is the group called Ferro Gaita. They play to sold out audiences around the world. You can enjoy a Ferro Gaita music video below. It shows the instruments used as well as the manner in which individuals and couples dance to Funana. Make sure you've done some exercise before you get to Cape Verde as Funana will definitely wear you out before the music ends!

Somewhere between Morna and Funana, is Coladera in terms of the musical pace. The style reminds me a little of calypso music from the Caribbean, which only underscores the common African roots of these musical forms. Listen to the music in this video by the singer Jorge Neto, who is known for his sartorial splendor, or as Cape Verdeans would say, his bazófia.

Then there is the music for those who like a slower pace. It's called Zouk. Zouk is not Cape Verdean but has a broader application to other African countries, as well as to the French Caribbean (where Zouk originated). Sometimes the music is infused with a Latin or Jazz style. And there is room for the artiste to include the unique characteristics of the native music culture. One ambassador of this style is Suzanna Lubrano, a very popular Cape Verdean cantadora who resides in the Netherlands. The Cape Verdean Zouk, as is the case with all forms, is definitely meant for couples, and is played in all of the nightclubs in Cape Verde. The video below will provide you with the an appreciation of Zouk.

Of course, there are many other excellent artistes of Cape Verdean heritage but unfortunately I cannot present them all in this single blog post. You could find many more examples on YouTube. But, I will leave you these three bonus videos. See if you can guess which musical style each fits.

If you can't understand the Kriolu, then you need to be looking at this post!

The Cape Verdean diaspora

2011-06-24T00:39:00.006-04:00

Horace Silver, jazz pianist

How many Cape Verdeans actually live outside of Cape Verde? These individuals comprise the Cape Verdean diaspora. The popular thinking is that more Cape Verdeans live outside Cape Verde than live within it. The population of Cape Verde is just over half-million residents in 2011 (based on the most recent census). I've heard estimates for the population of the diaspora that range from half-million to one million.

And it's a very interesting question to ask for several reasons.

First, it has significant implications for the country's economy because almost 10% of the GDP comes from remittances sent to Cape Verdean families from members who live in other lands, and provides support to families for the basics of living as well as to start small businesses. Remittances were actually an even higher percentage of the total economic output but have been surpassed by tourism and foreign direct investments.

Cape Verdeans emigrants often return home to work, start businesses themselves, or simply to retire. They often return with greater educational accomplishments, professional expertise, and assets. They thus can make invaluable contributions to Cape Verdean society.

Cape Verde Festival, RI, USA

And of course, many in the diaspora return periodically for vacations. In fact, it is estimated that Cape Verdeans returning for holidays and vacations comprise about 10% of the total tourism industry. But as you might imagine, they spend less nights per trip at hotels since many have relatives with whom they stay while on vacation. And I know many of you foreigners out there are thinking if you could only be so lucky to spend some time with a Cape Verdean family while here in Cape Verde. LOL! Listen, Cape Verdeans would love it if you would spend more of your dollars outside the hotels!

History of the Diaspora

Associacão Beneficiente Caboverdiana

Cape Verde has one of the highest historical rates of emigration. Starting in the mid 1800s, Cape Verdeans began a trend of heavy migration due to the droughts and severe poverty levels. They began migrating to the United States working aboard the whaling ships. The US currently has the oldest and largest of the Cape Verde expat emigrant communities.

When the US instituted extremely restrictive immigration policies starting around 1920, many Cape Verdeans began to emigrate to Senegal, a French colony at the time, because of its proximity. The Cape Verdeans in Senegal began to migrate to France after Senegal gained its independence. Senegal has the fifth largest Cape Verdean expat community.

There was also heavy migration to the Portuguese speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa especially Angola, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Gabon, São Tomé e Príncipe because at one point those countries and South America were the only destinations the Portuguese authorities would approve for Cape Verdean emigrants. Today Angola has the third largest population of Cape Verdean expats. And Argentina at one tine had the sixth largest (Brazil probably has more Cape Verdeans today than Argentina).

Around the 1960s, Cape Verdeans joined the wave of immigrant labor movements to Western Europe especially Portugal, the colonial master at the time. Today, Portugal has the second highest and France the fourth highest population of Cape Verdean expats.

Then starting in the 1970s, the emigration levels were drastically reduced because of strict immigration policies in the US and Europe. In fact, the population growth rate in Cape Verde which had been negative for many years (more people emigrating that being born), turned quite positive and then tripled from the 1970s to around 2.5% per year in the 1990s.

The Number

Cape Verdeans, Southern California, USA

So how large is the diaspora? Well according to the World Bank, it's around 192,000 world wide. That's less than half the population of Cape Verde. Now the World bank gets its estimate from official figures plus they look at where remittances into Cape Verde come from and how many are sent. But I think this probably underestimates the number because "official" numbers probably do not count everyone, and remittance patterns vary from one expat community to the next.

Could it be one million? I think this is too high. One way to actually figure out the number is via simple math. The number of Cape Verdeans who've ever been born must be equal to those who are alive in Cape Verde plus those Cape verdeans who are alive outside of Cape Verde plus all who ever died. Ignoring deaths, then the diaspora would be one million only if there were 1.5 million Cape Verdeans ever born (and even higher when you add all of those who've ever died). For that to be true, Cape Verde must consistently have had an incredibly high birth rate per thousand for hundreds of years. I doubt that's been the case.

Who is the Diapora?

New Bedford, Cabo Verde Expo

What defines the diaspora? Is it only those who were born in Cape Verde and have emigrated? Or would the number include second, third or even fourth generations who were born in foreign lands of Cape Verdean parents? What about Cape Verdeans who emigrated and married non-Cape Verdeans? Are their kids, like famous Jazz pianist Horace Silver, part of the diaspora?

For an interesting scoop on the making of a new documentary by Claire Andrade, about the history of one on the oldest Cape Verdean communities in the USA, see the video below:

And what about all those foreigners who have no Cape Verdean ancestry but want to come live in Cape Verde? LOL. Maybe this is the clue to the answer. The number of people outside Cape Verde who consider themselves connected to it for one reason or another may far exceed its current population. Perhaps that includes you! If not, before you visit Cape Verde, get to know someone from there who lives in your community.

The creation of a tourism brand

2011-06-21T11:11:00.001-04:00

It should be no secret by now, assuming you've read the rest of the blog. Tourist visits to Cape Verde have been growing at double digit pace over the last decade. In 2010, over 400,000 visitors came to Cape Verde for a vacation, primarily from Europe.

Cape Verde has even been highlighted in Conde Naste Traveler, USA Today Travel, Lonely Planet and other travel magazines as a desirable vacation destination. Lonely Planet, a British publication, awarded Cape Verde the number 3 spot on its Best in Travel 2011 guide. And the French association of tour operators, CETO, indicated that the number of French visitors to Cape Verde doubled in the winter period 2010-2011.

Cape Verde is building its brand. And every brand needs an official logo. So a competition was held from March 25 to May 7 in 2010. There were 151 competitive entries and the image you see at the head of this article was the winning entry. The winning logo was created by Rafael Fernandes, a professional architect, who practices his trade on the island of Santiago.

What was most interesting to me was Fernandes' origin for the concept of the logo. Refer to the picture on the right. You will see that the graphic that occurs at the bottom of the logo refers to the ten islands in the archipelago, each island represented by a stone whose shape mimics the actual shape of the island. It's a pretty powerful connection to all of the islands especially from an environmental standpoint.

While the logo is flexible and can be transformed into other color interpretations as well as other graphical renditions, the logo has met mixed reviews.

What do you think of the logo?

Would you like to learn to speak Kriolu?

2011-06-05T14:03:00.002-04:00

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.

But there is always an interest on the part of many people to learn kriolu. You may be a foreigner looking to spend an extended period in the islands, or you may be of Cape Verdean descent living abroad and you've never learned or been taught kriolu. Or maybe you just want to explore and learn a new language.

The first thing people ask is whether there is a book they can buy to learn the language, including rules of grammar. The answer is that there is a book but you can't buy it on Amazon. It is called "Pa Nu Papia Kriolu" by Manuel Gonçalves and Lelia Lomba De Andrade. You can order it from here. It is also available in some libraries in the US. There is a separate and highly academic book available on Amazon. It is also considerably more expensive.

So you can theoretically learn kriolu from a book. I had purchased that book at a Cape Verdean cultural fair several years ago and it was helpful for a basic introduction to kriolu. I purchased the book after I first visited Cape Verde, and it was very helpful in the sense that I could recognize in the book, some of the words I was hearing on the street. But even that was not easy.

In my experience, there is no way you can really learn kriolu from a book. The reason is that when Cape Verdean people speak kriolu, they speak with a certain accent, the emphasis is placed on certain parts of words, and it is not easy to tell where one words ends and another begins. And the kriolu varies from one island to another in terms of words, emphasis, and accent. But the biggest challenge is that in some islands like Sao Vicente, they do not pronounce the entire word ... the syllables at the end of most words are silent!!! So it can be very confusing. But in Santiago and other islands, they pronounce every syllable of each word, so it is much easier to learn the kriolu of Santiago ... although it hardly helps that they speak kriolu at a rapid fire pace - LOL.

And take it from me, residents of one island often have extreme difficulty understanding the kriolu spoken by the residents of another island (depending on which islands we're talking about). For example, it would be comedy hour to observe a local of Santiago trying to converse with a local of Santo Antao. However this came about is such a small nation is not only hilarious, it is downright charming. And it made a novice like me more comfortable learning and practicing kriolu knowing that I would be in the company of expert speakers of kriolu (from a different island) if I ever was laughed at.

The result is that the book will serve as a good reference to look at when you are trying to figure out something you heard in kriolu! But there is no better way to learn kriolu - the language, slangs and colloquialisms - than by actually visiting Cape Verde and immersing yourself in kriolu. It took me FOUR years to learn kriolu. I spent time in Mindelo (Sao Vicente) and Praia (Santiago). In Mindelo, there are many people from Santo Antao and Sao Nicolau, so you will hear those variations in Mindelo. And in Praia, there are lots of people from Fogo and Brava. So you will hear all those variations in Praia. I've found that the most colorful speakers are those from Fogo and Brava! I love to hear them speak kriolu. They speak the language like they love to hear it themselves.

I had only ever spoken English my whole life, so maybe that's longer than it will take others to learn kriolu if they have spoken other languages, such as Portuguese or Spanish. You will likely be able to learn kriolu much faster than I did.

Cape Verde ranked #3 in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2011 guide

2011-06-01T10:31:00.001-04:00

Lonely Planet, a British travel magazine, ranked Cape Verde as the #3 world travel destination for 2011. Yes, I know that's old news, but what is new is that their Best in Travel 2011 travel guide is available FREE in Apple's iBooks store from June 1, 2011 till June 14, 2011 after which it will cost about $10.

In case you missed the travel guide when it was first published in November 2010, here is what Lonely Planet has to say about Cape Verde, "Cape Verdeans may have known about the wider world forever, but it seems that the wider world is only just opening its eyes to Cape Verde." And, "Cape Verde looks and feels as if it were born of a Caribbean mother and an African father."

It describes the most bizarre experience on the island of Fogo thus, "relish the excitement of sleeping in a hotel built inside the crater of a live and brooding volcano!" You can read more about Fogo in my earlier post.

The guide offers a snippet of Cape Verde and nine other top travel destinations in its 213 color pages. So what are you waiting for? Whip out your iPads and iPhones and hurry to the iBooks store!

The island of Fogo - created by God's own hands

2011-05-31T21:13:00.001-04:00

If you are visiting Cape Verde, most likely you are headed for a sun and sand vacation on Sal or Boa Vista. That's where more than 80% of all tourists go in Cape Verde. Well let me tell you something - if you don't get off your lounge chair and explore the other islands, you would be missing out on some of the most beautiful locations in the archipelago.

First a warning. You won't find 5-star hotels on the other islands beyond Sal and Boa Vista. But what you will find is a stimulating experience unlike many of the things you might experience in other vacation destinations.

Fogo is a small island of about 55,000 people within the Cape Verde archipelago. What makes it unique is that it is literally and entirely, a volcano jutting out of the Atlantic Ocean. People essentially live all around the base and sides of this volcano, with a few daring souls living within the crater itself!

It is the highest mountain in the Cape Verde islands and the third highest peak among islands in the Atlantic. The goal of your trip here is to get to the top of the volcano to a little village called Chã das Caldeiras. And you can do that via car (hire a guide to take you there, or you can drive up yourself). The view from up there is spectacular. Especially since you are looking straight into the ocean below. It's a magical journey.

Chã das Caldeiras

Once you get into the crater of the volcano, in a little village of Chã das Caldeira, the first things you'll notice are the volcanic rocks all around. The place looks barren. But amazingly, you will also see the fruits that grow here in stark contrast to their surroundings. The best wines on the islands comes from the grapes grown here - be sure to do a little wine tasting.

If you have the time and the desire, you can then climb up the peak of the cone that sits within the crater. But you should be as fit as a fiddle as this will take several additional hours to complete. You can read about one reporter's journey (the article covers all the islands including his experience climbing up the cone). The article appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, "Verde Vibes". There was also another great article - "Hiking Cape Verde's Mount Pico".

Igreja Catolica, São Filipe

Besides a visit to the volcano's crater at Chã, you'll also enjoy the town of São Filipe. It's one of the prettiest cities in all of Cape Verde. Be sure to visit the Museu de São Felipe and the Igreja Catolica (Catholic Church).

Right behind the church and near the wall overlooking the ocean below, you will find a bakery that serves hot, fresh-baked break every day. Have it with butter. Simply delicious! They use an old-fashioned earthen oven. You can find the bakery with your nose, or just look for the small building with the smoke coming out of it. If you must, use your GPS and go to these coordinates: 14.53.595N, 24.30.057W.

Everywhere you go in Fogo will almost always involve either an uphill or downhill journey. Some of the climbs were so steep, I resorted to taking a taxi at times. LOL. But it's part of the charm of the place.

Ocean-view Poolside at the Xaguate Hotel

In São Filipe, I stayed at a little "pensão" (bed & breakfast) called Open Sky. It is so intimate that the owner of the pensão will personally serve you breakfast in the rooftop restaurant. There are other more upscale options as well. One example is the Xaguate Hotel, a boutique hotel with beautiful suites including bathrooms. Check out the large, clean pool area as well, it has one of the best ocean views of any hotel in Fogo.

I you have the opportunity, try to reach Mosteiros, a quaint coastal town on the opposite side of the volcano from São Filipe. The best thing in Mosteiros is the fresh food at a restaurant called Chão de Cafe (15.02.067N, 24,19.596W). You drive around the base of the volcano in a semi circle to get from São Filipe to Mosteiros. You complete the full circle all the way back to São Filipe if you just keep on driving. The entire journey provides spectacular photo opportunities.

You have to take one of the inter-island TACV flights from Santiago to get to Fogo. I know with all the earlier talk about steep inclines, you're probably wondering if the plane lands uphill or downhill. Well, I guess there is at least one flat spot on the island because the airplane lands on a level runway. LOL.

What Americans think about vacationing in Cape Verde

2011-05-27T00:03:00.006-04:00

I conducted an online survey of US residents to determine their attitudes about vacationing, and in particular, about Cape Verde as a potential vacation destination.

I looked at attitudes in the following areas:

Where do American's go on vacation?
Knowledge and Awareness of Cape Verde
Perceptions about Travel Time
Perceptions about Cost of Travel
Impact of Available Vacation Activities
Influencing Factors

The survey is still ongoing and I will collect at least 100 responses before I finalize the survey. In the meantime, I thought I would report on the results that I obtained so far.

You'll find the intriguing results and conclusions by clicking on "Read more" below.

A Study in Americans' Attitudes about Tourism

Introduction

Among tourists who vacation in Cape Verde, Americans are not a representative group. Cape Verde's biggest source market for tourists is Europe. Americans comprise less than 5% of tourists visiting Cape Verde. Even so, the majority is Americans of Cape Verdean descent who may have other reasons to visit. Changing the attitude of Americans about Cape Verde as a vacation destination represents an incredible opportunity for Cape Verde to boost its already rapidly growing tourism sector.

I conducted a 10-question survey in May 2011 to better understand why Americans do not vacation in Cape Verde in meaningful numbers and to determine what factors might influence them to change. While the survey is not completely scientific and the sample size is small, it certainly sheds some light on a several intriguing possibilities for capturing a bigger share of American tourists.

The survey was conducted online. Thirty (30) people took the survey. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the respondents were in the age group 40-64. Fifteen percent (15%) were under age 40, and ten percent (10%) were retired (age 65 or older). This age distribution is focused on Americans in their peak earnings years - perhaps one of the demographic sweet spots for tourism.

1. Where Do Americans Vacation?

Among the 30 respondents, 25 (or 83%) had vacationed in the Caribbean, 25 (or 83%) had vacationed in Europe and 19 (or 63%) had vacationed in Mexico. These are the top 3 traditional vacation destinations for Americans. Only 6 (or 20%) had visited Africa, the Middle East or Asia. Other destinations included South America and Australia. None had visited Cape Verde as intended by the survey.

2. Knowledge of Cape Verde

Even though none of the survey respondents had vacationed in Cape Verde, seventy percent (70%) had heard of Cape Verde through word-of-mouth (30%), Cape Verdean culture (20%), a TV/magazine/news paper article (10%), or familiarity with the Cape Verdean community (10%), But not one had heard of Cape Verde through travel agencies, and not one had discovered Cape Verde online.

On the surface, this result suggests that Cape Verde can increase awareness as a travel destination by engaging more effectively with American travel agencies and via online efforts. An example of online advertizing by an island destination is the Bahamas. Many Americans (and maybe even Europeans) are familiar with the slogan, "It's Better in the Bahamas." This is the result of concerted marketing efforts by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. Here is an example of an online production by the Bahamas Government on YouTube that incorporates the tourists themselves: It's Better in the Bahamas!.

3. Perceptions about Travel Time

Almost half (47%) of the respondents believed that Cape Verde was about the same distance or closer than Europe from their location. However, almost half (47%) believed it was slightly further or much further than Europe. The fact is that Cape Verde is a 6 1/2 hour flight from Boston. This is further than some parts of Europe but closer than other parts. This lack of clarity about how far Cape Verde is from the US may hurt chances of attracting Americans. But make no mistake about it, Americans travel to vacation destinations that are much farther than Cape Verde. For example, in this survey, twenty five percent (25%) of the respondents had vacationed in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, all of which are decidedly further.

4. Perceptions about Cost

When informed that Cape Verde is about the same distance as Europe, about seventy three (73%) expect to pay about the same or less than a European vacation package and thirty seven percent (37%) say they would be equally likely or more likely to vacation in Cape Verde than in either Europe or the Caribbean. In other words, Americans vacation so often in Europe and the Caribbean they are open to another vacation destination like Cape Verde provided the price is comparable to a European vacation package. This is another apparent indication that there could be a significant opportunity for Cape Verde to capitalize on the US as a source market for its tourists.

5. Impact of Vacation Activities

Besides beautiful beaches, Cape Verde offers a range of activities in which tourists can engage. This includes: hiking; boating; sports fishing; diving; wind and wave surfing; triathlons and ultra marathons; and eco-tourism activities. When presented with this suite of potential activities, seventy three (73%) of survey respondents said that they would be equally or more likely to vacation in Cape Verde than in Europe or the Caribbean! The conclusion is that a for a package price that is about the same as a European vacation, Americans would be very likely to venture to Cape Verde if these types of vacation activities were presented to them. It is clear that while sun-and-sand vacations appeal to Americans, they may have already been over-saturated with such possibilities in the Caribbean, Mexico and the US itself (Florida, South East and West Coast destinations).

6. Ranking of Influencing Factors

When asked to rank the factors which would influence them to definitely vacation in Cape Verde, a very interesting picture begins to take shape. The factors ranked were: the location of Cape Verde in Africa, travel time, cost, choice of hotels and resorts, choice of activities, and personal safety.

The most important factor that would influence the survey respondents to choose Cape Verde as a vacation destination is their personal safety. This was chosen by seventy six percent (76%) among the top two factors that would influence them. Next was total cost of the vacation package chosen by sixty three percent (63%) of the respondents among the top two factors. Travel time was the third most important factor with fifty four percent (54%) ranking it among the top two factors. The choice of hotels and the vacation activities available were important factors but less so. Finally, the fact that Cape Verde is an African state was the least important factor, yet for 23% of the respondents, this factor was in their top four influences.

Conclusions

The results of this survey provide some potential indicators for what the Cape Verdean government could do to influence a much greater penetration of the market for US tourists.

First, more should be done to increase awareness of Cape Verde and what it has to offer as a vacation destination. For example, a tourism video that is professionally done and posted online can be extremely effective. But this would have to be complementary to other advertising of Cape Verde as a tourism market. The slogan, "It's better in the Bahamas," was advertised in the US television markets for many years. Advertising works.

The US travel agency industry must be courted by Cape Verde. A travel package (airfare plus hotel) that is competitive with a European Vacation might be quite attractive to Americans. A range of hotel and resort choices as well as a choice of pre-arranged activities would also be an effective part of what travel agents should have at their disposal for clients. The exotic locale is also a consideration.

Perceptions of personal safety are critical. The fact that Cape Verde is among the safest destinations in Africa should be emphasized.

How Cape Verde can leverage existing tourism into greater economic benefits

2011-05-19T15:32:00.003-04:00

Cape Verde has risen from the world's ranks of "lesser developed countries" into an emerging economic force in Africa. It is now moving toward classification as a "middle-income country". The country receives high marks from the various organizations, such as the Heritage Foundation and the Ibrahim Foundation, which study the social and economic progress of countries across the globe. It is a remarkable feat for a country with few natural resources, bar its natural beauty and its beautiful and talented people.

Yet, it is easy for its government to become complacent with these accomplishments or to cease looking very deeply into the opportunities which remain untapped. This is in fact what appears to be happening in the area of tourism. While tourism into Cape Verde has increased dramatically over the last decade, and is expected to rise at an even higher pace of over 20% in 2011, there is a danger that the government views the current and future expected growth in tourism as a sign of success. No doubt, it is a commendable achievement, however there are significant imbalances in the current state of tourism that cannot be left unaddressed:

Most of the tourist visits to Cape Verde are concentrated in just two of its nine islands - Sal and Boa Vista. Less than 20% of tourists head to the other islands as their primary destination.
The majority of tourists remain sequestered in all-inclusive resorts on Sal and Boa Vista and hardly venture out beyond the confines of their hotels or the activities offered by the hotels to truly experience what Cape Verde has to offer its visitors.
Tourists themselves can hardly be blamed because the tour operators are offering what is available in terms of safe, organized, scheduled activities - the tour operators have a reputation to protect. Left to their own devices, the typical tourist or visitor needs all possible help to explore what any location has to offer. It is the exceptional visitor who would step outside the parameters of pre-arranged, organized services because of the inconvenience or mis-perceptions about the risks to their personal safety.
Creating further obstacles to getting tourists off their beach-lounge chairs or pool-mattresses is the lack of reliable maritime transportation services. A new, modern fast ferry service called Cape Verde Fast Ferry was launched in early 2011 with one ferry (and soon to be two), but it was not strategically designed to service the tourism base. For example, it does not reach the two islands of Sal and Boa Vista where most tourists flock. The result is that, besides limited and more expensive air transport provided by the local airline - TACV, there is no good way for tourists to get "off the island" on which they arrived. And frankly, when you take a vacation via air travel, no one wants to deal with the hassles of getting back onto an aircraft until it's time to return home at the end of the vacation.
The lack of efficient maritime transport services also misses the critical economic opportunity presented by delivering Cape Verdean products from the islands where they originate to the islands where tourists and visitors predominantly stay. For example, there is no efficient way to transport perishable foods grown on the agriculturally rich island of San Nicolau to the tourist mecca of Sal on a reliable, daily basis. So you have hungry tourists in Sal on the one had and you have delicious, fruit and vegetables in San Nicolau on the other hand - but never do the two hands clap. Instead, it is more cost effective for hotel operators to import foreign goods to Sal and Boa Vista to satisfy the tourism demands!
While a number of capable tour companies exists on these other islands, they are naturally focused on providing pre-arranged, committed tour services for potential tourists who are outside of Cape Verde at the time of planning a visit. In other words, there is no coherent strategy being pursued to market the rest of Cape Verde to the captive audience of some 1/2 million tourists per year when they are already inside Cape Verde!
Unless Cape Verde does a much better job of getting tourists who visit one island to experience the diverse offerings that the other islands have to offer, some tourists are likely to make their Cape Verde holiday a one-time only visit because, unlike what the government and current tourism providers may be tempted to believe, there are many beach-vacation destination choices across the globe. I've been to several. After a while, they all seem the same. It is okay to market Cape Verde's uniqueness in a beautiful brochure, but unless that uniqueness can be actually experienced by a visitor, there is nothing to truly distinguish the Cape Verde holiday experience from what could be found in competing sun-and-sand destinations.

The conclusion is that there is a major economic opportunity that is being missed by both private investors and especially, the government of Cape Verde. It is not that the government needs to spend any money in this regard. What the government could do is facilitate private investors in establishing a maritime link between Sal and Boa Vista with the other islands. However, the private business that takes advantage of this would have to supply a tourist-oriented maritime service to create organized one-, two-, or three-day trips to the other islands to which the service connects. But the trick is that once the service reaches the destination island(s), there must be a series of organized, coordinated excursions for the visitors to utilize. The private organizer would have to do an excellent job in working with the foreign travel agents, the local hotels on Sal and Boa Vista, and the local providers of tourism services to effectively, organize and promote these maritime-based tour operations.

Think of it as delivering a "cruise" service. I haven't met a single person who doesn't enjoy leisure cruising. I've been on several Caribbean cruises myself. But in this case, instead of a cruise that leaves your home port and ventures to a foreign destination, it is a cruise within the Cape Verde maritime region. There are many examples across the globe of successful local-only cruise operations where the "tourists" never actually leave the home country region. Application in the Cape Verdean tourism context could be remarkably successful because, frankly, the most exquisitely beautiful of the Cape Verde islands are those where few tourists have the opportunity to go. It is not the absence of tourism that keeps these islands beautiful. Rather, it is the combination of a diverse topology and the charm of its cultural and human setting that gives each island a unique yet connected flavor that cannot be found elsewhere in the world within such a small region.

Cape Verde is like opening a single bottle of fine wine, yet finding in each sip, a different but compelling sensory perception against your taste buds. This would be a magical experience because you would only expect such a result if you purchased separate bottles of fine wine. It is hard to imagine a more natural marketing opportunity.

As far as the movement of local goods from the islands where those goods are produced out to the tourist resorts where those goods can be consumed, this is where the government should be encouraged to step in with public investment in a freight service that is strategically aimed at building the GDP of the islands which are largely locked out of the pronounced economic benefits associated with linkages to the islands where the massive tourism investments are concentrated.

How safe is Cape Verde for visitors, tourists and retirees?

2011-05-17T08:32:00.002-04:00

Let's face it. Anyone who travels to a strange new place, where ever it happens to be, has a natural tendency to feel some degree of discomfort when it comes to their personal safety. After all, you hardly know much about unfamiliar new places except for what you may have heard before getting there.

Cape Verde is a very safe country for visitors and tourists. Despite anything you may have heard to the contrary, the facts indicate that you are pretty safe here compared to other places. Let's take a look at some of the indicators and studies.

According to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance 2010, an independent evaluator of African nations, Cape Verde ranks #3 of 53 African countries in terms of Safety and Rule of Law. And within that category of evaluation, it ranked 3rd in measures of Personal Safety including crime statistics. Only Mauritius and the Seychelles were safer.

In 2007, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime conducted a study on crime and corruption in Cape Verde. While the data is clearly a few years old, it does put the issue in perspective. What they found was that, "Most of the crimes experienced by the population are conventional property crimes, not necessarily involving the use of violence." Furthermore, they found that, "On average, citizens of the urban areas of S. Vicente and Santiago run the same risk of becoming a victim of robbery as the citizens of other African cities."

In other words, the larger population centers of Praia (Santiago) and Mindelo (Sao Vicente) are where crime levels are highest. Yet, most of the crime is petty theft and robbery.

Speaking from personal experience, as I've lived in both cities, I've had my car broken into a few times and my apartment broken into twice. And I know of several local and foreign residents who have also had their homes broken into. But I realized that neither I nor my friends had taken even the simplest basic precautions to deter such theft.

That's the key - take all the normal, common sense precautions you would anywhere to avoid becoming a victim of petty theft or robbery.

If you decide to live in Cape Verde for an extended period, or if you decide to make a retirement home here, you should make sure your home or apartment is secure. Thus, you should make sure sliding doors and windows have protection in place to defeat the sliding mechanism. Your ground floor doors and windows should be fortified with metal bars to discourage thieves. Your car should not have any valuables visible within and should preferably have an automatic alarm. And one of the things that could be very useful in solving a theft is to install cameras that record movement - with today's technology these cameras are cheap and small enough to hide away in an inconspicuous place. But the best protection is to hire a security guard to keep an eye on your home (or several homes so you can split the cost). The cost of a guard is only about 80-100 euro per month.

Here are a few tips that you may want to keep in mind whenever you visit a new place, even if its the next town over from where you live:

Never walk around alone at night in an unfamiliar area - you would be inviting unnecessary trouble and may be an easy target for a mugger. Take a taxi. If you want to walk around and explore at night, travel in groups; there is strength in numbers. Muggers tend to travel in groups of two or three at night.
Women should absolutely not walk around alone at night as they tend to attract unsolicited attention from obnoxious males, or worse, muggers.
Never flash large amounts of money around as this would mark you as a target - not for violence, but for pick-pockets or scam artists who may try to talk you out of the money they know you are carrying.
Do not leave your valuables unattended or out of your sight; they are likely to be stolen when you're not looking.
Leave your valuables in the hotel safe only if you are able to program in your own personal locking code. If it can be opened with a key, it is possible that someone else has a copy. Take a picture of your valuables to document them for insurance purposes or to make a claim with the hotel.
Keep valuables that cannot be stored in a hotel safe locked away inside of your luggage during your hotel stay while you are out of your room.
Do not leave anything, not even items of nominal value, inside an unattended parked car. There are too many incidents where windows are smashed and trivial items are stolen to be resold. Plus you may be held liable for damage to a rental car if you did not purchase optional insurance.
When moving around in crowded areas, be constantly aware of your surroundings. Do not become overly distracted or taken off your guard by unusual activity, for example, someone bumping into you or asking you odd questions (e.g., asking directions of an obvious tourist.)
Do not fall for confidence tricks or scams. If a stranger approaches you with a very credible story that requires you to part with any money, no matter how small you think the amount may be, you are probably being scammed. For example, someone who approaches you may know the hotel you are staying at because they may have seen you enter or leave the hotel premises. Simply because they know this fact, doesn't mean they are affiliated in any way with the hotel. If you have any doubts, ask for identification (Bilhete Identidade) and KEEP their ID in your possession until you have confirmed whatever story you are being told. If they refuse to provide ID, have nothing to do with them.
Do not pack your valuables in your luggage when travelling by air. Items like cameras, jewelery or other articles that may contain cherished memories or that may hold sentimental value, should always be kept in your carry on hand bags. Forget theft - what if the airline simply loses your luggage or drops it causing damage!

For a brief vacation, Cape Verde is no less safe than any other small mostly rural, tropical island destination. Just take the precautions for your personal safety and the safety of your property that you would in any unfamiliar location. And most of all, enjoy yourself and everything that Cape Verde has to offer!

What kind of money should tourists and longer-term residents bring with them to Cape Verde?

2011-05-16T15:45:00.003-04:00

One of the questions most often asked by visitors to Cape Verde, based on some of the activity on the travel websites, pertains to foreign exchange. This posting will help you to plan ahead with respect to your monetary instruments.

OFFICIAL CURRENCY:
The official cash currency of Cape Verde is the Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE). The value of the escudo is pegged at a permanently fixed exchange rate to the Euro:

€1 = 110.265 ECV.

CASH

Because the escudo is pegged to the euro at a permanently fixed rate, euro cash is accepted everywhere in Cape Verde. Since you can't buy escudos outside Cape Verde, be sure to bring euros. You will receive in exchange, 100 CVE for each euro. So there is a cost to using euros. You could always go to the bank to exchange euros but you will have to pay a fee at the bank as well as wait in long lines to be served.

There is also a black market in currency exchange. You will find some of the "street bankers" near the market on the Plateau in Praia (Santiago). You'll get a slight better rate than the banks, but I would be very cautious because you may run the risk of getting counterfeit notes. For me, it's not worth the risk of getting a few extra pennies.

Other currencies are not readily accepted in local establishments. But if you have British pounds sterling, US dollars or Brazilian reas, they are readily exchanged at the banks.

BANKS
The four primary banks found across the island are Banco Comercial do Atlantico (BCA), Caixa Economica, Banco Inter-Atlantico, and Banco Caboverdiano de Nogocios (BCN). There are a couple other banks, like Banco Africano do Investimentos (BAI), but you won't find branches everywhere. In any event, when you walk into a bank branch office, you're likely to be presented with the same picture. Long lines and frustrating wait times. So, don't worry, be happy! Pick a number.

Actually, the best time to visit a bank branch is during the lunch hours from 12-3. Avoid Mondays and Fridays. The place will be jam-packed with customers. Banks are not open for business on the weekends.

ATM MACHINES

Most bank branches have ATM machines. However, try to get to an ATM before Friday. Very often ATMs run out of cash over the weekend. Also, not all banks cards will work in these ATMs. Credit cards with chips inside won't work. Also, the ATM network here seems to accept only 4 digit PIN. So if your PIN is longer, you may be out of luck.

CREDIT CARDS/ATM CARDS
Most major credit cards are accepted at most major hotels and car rental agencies ... but "major" chains are scarce on the islands. And credit cards are not widely accepted at most local stores and restaurants in Cape Verde.

One thing you should be careful of with the use of credit cards is that many major European and American banks may put a hold on your credit card account if you use the card outside of your home country without informing the bank. They do this to protect you from potential fraud. So before travelling, let your bank know that you'll be in Cape Verde and over what period.

FOR LONGER TERM RESIDENTS
Of course, if you're planning to live in Cape Verde for any extended period, it may make a lot of sense for you to open a bank account with one of the local banks and get an ATM card. Wire transfer capabilities often come in handy. Set this up via your foreign banks online banking system. Or if no online capabilities exist at your bank, set up the capability at your local bank in your home country before you leave for Cape Verde.

Sao Vicente's emerging crime problem and how to deal with it

2011-05-15T16:45:00.002-04:00

Cape Verde is one of the safest places in Africa when it comes to crime, and is generally considered extremely safe for tourists. In fact, Cape Verde is ranked 3rd in measures of Personal Safety behind only Mauritius and the Seychelles by the Ibrahim Index 2010.

However, there is a disconcerting truth that the country's biggest cities, Praia (Santiago) and Mindelo (Sao Vicente) have higher rates of crime against the person, especially theft, and increasingly, violent theft.

One unfortunate recent victim was Nathaniel "Jay" Silva who was recently robbed and beaten while walking alone at nigth in Mindelo, Sao Vicente. His injuries left "Jay" disabled and confined to a wheelchair. The bandits made off with 3 euro.

This trend in violent theft is a potentially devastating development for Sao Vicente because the island's economy is very dependent upon tourism. It ranks 4th in number of tourists after Boa Vista and Sal (in each case where crime is virtually non-existent) and Praia, the country's capital which naturally experiences higher levels of crime but spread over a vastly larger population than Sao Vicente. In addition, Sao Vicente has a significantly higher level of unemployment that may predispose the island to higher levels of opportunistic crimes. And there have also been increasing reports about gang activity. In fact, most of these attacks are attributed to groups of young men, presumably unemployed and looking to make a few dollars.

There have been major investments made in the tourism sector in Sao Vicente including a brand new international airport. And several large real estate developments have attracted foreigners to the island. It is thus in the interest of everyone - residents and visitors alike - that this situation be addressed immediately and with extreme prejudice by the police departments on the island.

Having spent some time in Sao Vicente, it is my observation that the police departments and the justice system are not properly equipped to effectively deal with this type of crime. Perpetrators are often not identified during a crime committed under the veil of darkness, even though the community is small and everyone knows everyone else. When perpetrators are identified, they may be released for lack of physical evidence - the stolen items may have long been peddled away for quick cash. Or the cases drag through the legal system for years. Meanwhile, thugs are left to continue their criminal ways with impunity.

It is time for the National Police to look at new policing methods to combat gangs. Successful policing methods used in larger countries with much bigger crime problems include these three key methods:

Infiltration of gangs via paid informants. A little money goes a long way among young men who are engaged in criminal activity due to lack of economic opportunities. Police investigators could get a lot of mileage by hiring paid informants and offering rewards for confidential tips.
Use of "stings" where criminals are tricked into showing themselves. For example, to catch criminals who break and enter into cars, police could plant a decoy car with valuables inside and place the car under surveillance. Another example is the use of under-cover police officers who pose as victims in an area where a sting is set up. Criminals who take the bait are quickly apprehended. Repeated use of decoys leaves criminals guessing whether intended victims are decoys.
Use of electronically tagged items that when stolen can be tracked (via GPS readers) to the exact location of the thieves who can then be apprehended red-handed. This method also leads to caches of stolen goods.

Some of these methods may require special equipment for the police forces to do effective work. Examples include, recording devices, electronic gear, night vision goggles, and so on. This would be a very high return investment for the Cape Verdean government, or the local governments in Sao Vicente.

In addition, methods refined in Sao Vicente could then be used in other jurisdictions. In other words, the benefits of such crime-fighting would be gained across the country.

I can only conclude that an aggressive move by the police department is warranted before Sao Vicente gets a serious black eye and earns a reputation among tourists as the island in Cape Verde that they should not visit because of concerns about personal safety. Once such a reputation develops, it is extremely difficult to combat. It would be very unfortunate because Sao Vicente is a beautiful island and the cultural center of Cape Verde.

Cape Verde's enduring Jewish heritage

2011-05-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

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.

Most of the immigrants settled on the island of Santo Antao which is recognized today by the locals as the cradle of the Jewish settlement. In Santo Antao, visitors should proceed to the town of Ponta do Sol, where high on a ridge overlooking the beach of Praia de Lisboa is a Catholic cemetery. In the midst of that cemetery is a small walled enclosure containing seven Jewish tombstones. The other burial site in Santo Antao is four kilometers away - in the seaside town of Penha de Franca - carved into the side of the mountains.

Yet there is one other gravesite - that of Hillel Ben-Shimol who asked to be buried on his own land. He was a Sephardic Jew from Morocco and died in Cape Verde in 1902 during the famine. Of the 30 known Jewish grave sites, his is the only one not in a cemetery.

What might explain why there are only 30 known graves left of Cape Verde's Jews? Considering that many of the graves would be hundreds of years old, having any reminders is a testament to the preservation efforts that may have been undertaken by the descendants of these early immigrants. Moreover, in 1961, there was a massive mudslide on the island of Santo Antao which destroyed many graves including many Jewish graves.

However, while the cemeteries may be an attraction to those who are interested in Jewish legacy and heritage of Cape Verde, these remaining grave sites are in danger of crumbling away and forever being lost to erosion and encroaching development.

Carol Castiel, an American journalist, has made the forgotten community her life's passion. She is the executive director of the Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Project whose goal is preservation and restoration of the Jewish cemeteries, and publishing articles and videos to document the legacy of Cape Verde's Jews.

As stated eloquently by Vaclev Havel, "The special union between ancestors and descendants is one of the foundations of the existence of every sound human community aware of its identity." So, please, visit Carol's website in the link above if you're interested in learning more or simply wish to contribute to her efforts.

Discover Cape Verde via a new YouTube channel!

2011-05-13T13:33:00.002-04:00

Here's a compilation of visual information about Cape Verde. This YouTube channel is a well organized collection of YouTube videos that you would probably have a hard time finding on your own. It contains information on just about every topic visitors, tourists and retirees might find of interest about Cape Verde. It is constantly updated. Discover Cape Verde by subscribing to this new channel!

Click here for =>>The Great Cape Verde Adventure Channel

While none of the videos were created by me, there is a lot of good content created by others that is dispersed across YouTube in a very disorganized fashion. I hope that by carefully scrutinizing all of the content by topic and only picking the best examples of what Cape Verde is all about, that you will be assisted in your quest to learn more before you get there. Feel free to share with me any valuable content you think I may have missed.

You want water-sports?

2011-05-11T12:22:00.002-04:00

If you're looking for water-sports, the surf off Cape Verde's islands is the place to enjoy it. Just ask Josh Angulo, former Windsurfing World Champion.

Visit Josh's Angulo Center in Sal for everything you'll need to enjoy surfing, including tuition. Of course, this is just one choice for water-sporting activities. You'll find a full range of options on each of the islands from swimming, scuba diving, surfing, wind-surfing, and sports-fishing to just lazing on the beach if that's your thing.

Most of the organized, scheduled activities are found on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista.

Traveling between the Cape Verde islands by ... Fast Ferry

2011-05-09T09:46:00.004-04:00

One of the biggest transportation challenges in Cape Verde faced by residents, businesses and tourists alike is movement between the islands of Cape Verde. It is a particularly daunting challenge because the islands are relatively far apart in terms of maritime distances.

The islands are served by air transportation via TACV, the local airline, but the cost of air transportation is relatively more expensive than by sea. In addition, it is virtually impossible to move large quantities of goods by air. And worse, the islands of Santo Antao, Brava and Maio do not have airports - so air travel is not an option to those destinations.

However, the local ferry services are quite unreliable, crowded and service is very spotty. The only exceptions are the ferry between islands which happen to be close to each other - like Sao Vicente and Santo Antao, or Santiago and Fogo, yet even so they are not necessarily 100% reliable. But if, for example, you were looking to enjoy the beauty of the Brava, a stone's throw from Fogo, you had better be sure that your schedule has a few days of flexibility - you might get to Brava by ferry, but you'd have no idea if you could actually return on the appointed day.

The local residents of the islands hardly had a choice ... they simply had to put up with it ... until now, with the introduction of a new modern ferry service - Cape Verde FastFerry!

FastFerry is a result of a partnership between private enterprise and the government. The company made the first initial public offering issued on the Cape Verde financial exchanges, Bolsa de Valores. The company's operations were launched in 2010, and the first ferry, the m/v Kriola, took to the waters for its maiden voyage in early 2011. It now boasts a daily schedule of fast, round trips between Santiago, Fogo and Brava. The ferry is capable of transporting approximately 160 passengers and 65 tons of freight including automobiles. However, the ramps necessary to load and unload freight are not yet installed. As soon as those are installed, the FastFerry is likely to see even more ridership plus freight.

After a few months in service, the FastFerry's Kriola was struck by a malfunction in one of its diesel generators. This happened just a day ago on May 6, 2011. According to local reports, the ferry was adrift between Santiago and Fogo for about 4 hours before a tug boat arrived to bring it to the port in Praia for quick repairs. I guess that day, the ferry was not particularly fast for the affected patrons. But all is well that ends well and such hiccups are to be expected every now and then. But FastFerry is a well run, modern corporation with public and private stakeholders. Unlike the other ferry services which sometimes go out of service for months at a time, there is no doubt that FastFerry has the resources and the incentive to properly service its vehicles and to consistently keep them in service.

Finally, a second ferry, the m/v Liberdadi is expected to be placed into operation in the coming months and will serve the other islands.