It's absolutely stunning here. I remembered our trip to Mindelo on St Vincent last year from MV Aurora and looked up the 2016 cruise blog!
This year instead of visiting the town and outdoor market, we did a panoramic tour of the island with a very special young tour guide called Willy. So, we now really do know much more than last year. Willy is such a bright and generously spirited young man with a gorgeous heart-melting smile and a love of all things musical. #littlegirlycrush Willy was very happy to share a lot about music, who the famous Cape Verdian singers are, like Cesaria Evora who died in 2011, known as the Barefoot Diva, and the Queen of Morna, showed us where she lived and died and played us examples of her Morna (and others) music. He even had us singing Sodade Sodade Sodade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYY8GJ-i0I as we climbed halfway up Mount Verde in the coach on some hairpin bends. We stopped to take photos and get views of both sides of the island.
He gave us a potted history of the island's politics and the journey from slavery to independence, and from the explorers in the 15th century to independence 1975. Cape Verde was a stop off point for the slave trade from the west coast of Africa. Slavery was about trading molasses, rum, sugar for people. Inc the role of Amilcar Cabal wrote Unity and Struggle, and Resistance and Decolonisation. Published posthumously. Film Cabralista
Our journey went on to sand dunes, beaches, past churches and graveyards, giving Willy the opportunity to tell us a bit more about volcanoes, Sahara sand and popular Cape Verdian food, fish, chicken, rice and beans, papaya jelly, Grogue (sugar cane liqueur)
There are 10 islands, he showed us a map. Four airports - Sao Vicente Boa Vista and Sal. Other islands reached by boat. Official language is Portuguese, unofficial language is a Creole of Dutch, Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Economy
light manufacturing, footwear clothing
Sweet potatoes, cassava, bananas and maize
Main livestock is goat, used in cuisine. famous for tuna too.
Makes violins and ukeles
Have to import food and fuel
Balance of payments is maintained internationally and with Portuguese aid. and emigrant remittances. It is above the regional average for Africa but some way to being on a par with developed world
Population's ethnicity is made up of
Mestico (mixed race), Fulani , Balanta, Manyako, Portuguese, Other 1.6
Religion is largely Catholic but representatives from all world religions are free to worship on Cabo Verde
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