Cape Verde - colorful colors and lots of beauty, but also a lot of shadow

Unlike the Canary Islands and Madeira, the Cape Verde Islands are relatively unknown and still relatively undeveloped by tourism. Therefore, we had already been warned not to have too high expectations for the island of San Vicente, with the largest city there, Mindelo. But despite being cautious about the country, I was surprised when I saw the interesting mountain formations, the beautiful beaches, and the colorful and almost picturesque colonial architecture in the old town of Mindelo. Much of it is still in need of renovation, but efforts are being made to restore the old buildings, which has already been successful with the Governor's Palace in spectacular pink or with some bank and commercial buildings and the town hall in colorful light blue, yellow, or purple.

The Governor's Palace serves only representative purposes and is used for exhibitions, such as the one currently for the well-known singer Cesaria Evora, who has successfully brought the Cape Verdean music scene on tours abroad with her songs and is still highly revered even after her death in 2011. She was apparently also very socially engaged and repeatedly lived in her modest little house in Mindelo between her performances. Her singing is a kind of Fado-style Portuguese music, a bit restrained and sad, but also rhythmic. In any case, music is very beloved by the locals, which is why more and more festivals of all kinds take place in Mindelo throughout the year.

My tour guide, a young student with good English skills, ended our tour in a shady courtyard where 3 musicians played music under a tree and then started dancing. First it was the young people who had offered drinks, then also some of the visitors from our group. Everything was very casual and relaxed, so we were pleasantly surprised by what Cape Verde and its people have to offer. The landscape is mountainous and of volcanic origin. The mountain range is interesting because its silhouette looks like a person lying down with a profiled face ("Monte de Cara"), which is attributed to various historical figures such as Napoleon, Washington, or Lord Nelson.

But the lively and prosperous impression is only superficial. Independence from Portugal in 1975 did not necessarily bring a better future. The population is poor, which I experienced for the first time on this long journey with really intrusive, begging children and young men. They would not leave you alone, they would not go away and kept asking for money. The proportion of young population is apparently very high. Two-thirds of the population are under 30 years old. 15 years ago, every other person was illiterate and 90% of those over 25 years old had no formal education. Therefore, education is the main goal of the current government. The opportunities are still very limited for the approximately 400,000 inhabitants.

Economically, Cape Verde also does not have much to show for itself. The container port of Mindelo is a transshipment point for fish and bananas. But otherwise, the country exports little, as the island group lacks good infrastructure, and even on the pure holiday island for beach vacations (Buo Vista), almost everything is flown in. Since the port of Mindelo has a draft of 11.5 m, cruise ships now call at San Vincente during the season from October to April, which may offer an entry into the tourism industry in the long run. Because the pictures also show that despite everything, it has a lot to offer. I especially liked the two girls who suddenly hugged each other and danced happily during the music in the courtyard.

Otherwise, life on board is clearly coming to an end. There are only two destinations left on the schedule (Tenerife and Madeira). Therefore, the farewell parties and invitations are increasing. Tomorrow is the "Country Fair", where items in good condition that have been donated by passengers will be sold and games (e.g. throwing darts at the ports of the world trip) are intended to raise funds for the trust of Prince Charles.

So there is still good entertainment on board. A "Dance into May" was offered for the German guests on April 30th, which was translated as "German Disco", which brought me some questions from the British guests about what that was. This phenomenon of Walpurgis Night and Dance into May apparently does not exist in the English-speaking world.

Best regards

Eva