Pico do Fogo erupts, villagers flee (Video)

Around 1,500 people were forced to abandon their homes on Monday as the biggest eruption of Pico do Fogo in decades has now destroyed two villages and threatens a forest reserve on the island.

Fogo island aerial view CC-by-SA AldoBien

The villagers had to flee before the lava flow reached the villages of Portela and Bangeira on Fogo Island, according to fire brigade chief, Arlindo Lima.  Lima said the lava front was more than 500 meters (547 yards) north of the outlying houses in Bangeira a week ago, and has now swept over much of the village as it moves forward. Portela was also destroyed.

1,000 people were also evacuated from the Cha das Caldeiras region at the foot of the volcano, immediately after the eruption started on November 23.  The airport was closed due to clouds of ash in the skies.



While volcanic activity is rare on the island, an expert, Bruno Faria, told the local Radio Cape Verde that the initial blast from Pico do Fogo was much greater than that in 1995, which showered the island with ash.

Interior Minister, Maria Morais, told the radio station that the eruption was very fast and that the government is appealing to the people for calm.

The volcano, Pico do Fogo, had quietened down for four days following the initial eruption, but started to blow again over the last weekend.

Now authorities are worried about the Monte Velho forest reserve, lying in the path of the lava flow and have warned villagers in Fonsaco to prepared to leave.

Speaking of the demise of Portela and Bangeira, a local journalist, Arlinda Neves, said the volcano has claimed a "whole local economy and a way of life" in the space of only 22 days.

As some of the buildings in those villages dated back to the 1860s, Neves added, "It's more than a century and a half of history that has literally been wiped out."

Screengrab from video footage obtained by AFP from TCV (Televisão de Cabo Verde)

Sources:

Earthsky
Daily Mail

A brief introduction into Cape Verde (Video)

Cape Verde, officially named the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country, consisting of an archipelago of ten volcanic islands, 350 miles off the West African coast out in the central Atlantic Ocean.

When Portuguese explorers originally discovered the islands in the 15^th century, they were uninhabited.  The explorers soon saw how useful the perfect positioning of these islands could be for the African slave trade.  Unfortunately, the positioning also attracted a mix of pirates and privateers.

Among some of the more famous visitors to arrive on the islands are Sir Francis Drake in the 1580s, and Charles Darwin’s expedition made a stop there in 1832.

As the slave trade gradually lost popularity, the Cape Verde islands became more settled and that excellent positioning now came in handy again, this time for supplying visiting ships, as the islands were located within the major shipping lanes between Australia, India and Europe.

Up until 1975, when Cape Verde achieved independence, the islands remained a colony of Portugal. For many years, salt mining was a popular industry, but these days, the salt is mainly used locally and the Cape Verdean economy is mostly service-oriented with an emphasis on foreign investment and tourism.

Despite a lack of natural resources on the islands, Cape Verde has been praised as being an example among the African nations for its great stability and developmental growth, taking second place only to Mauritius on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIGA) in 2014.

The islands enjoy an excellent, year around climate, with warm and mild temperatures, and offer an amazing range of different landscapes, with mountainous scenes, forests, volcanoes, excellent white and black sand beaches, seasonal floral displays and deserts.

Cape Verde also has a fascinating cultural wealth, and the music of the islands includes the famous “Morna” music and dance, made internationally famous by Cesária Évora. Popularly known as the “Barefoot Diva,” as she preferred to perform without shoes, Évora has also been dubbed the "Queen of Morna.” Other famous performers from Cape Verde include Ildo Lobo and Nelson Freitas.

Morna is a rather melancholy song-form, normally sung in the local Creole language or in Portuguese.  The music is a mix of Brazilian, Caribbean and Portuguese influences. Morna is usually accompanied by the cavaquinho, clarinet, guitar and violin.  Other traditional Cape Verdean music includes Funaná, Coladeira, Batuque and Cabo love.

After improvements to the harbor and airport facilities throughout Cape Verde, all islands are all reasonably easy for visitors to access.  In certain areas, large modern “All-Inclusive” hotels have sprung up including the Club Hotel Riu Karamboa on Boa Vista and the Club Hotel Riu Funana/Garopa on Sal.  

While these major hotels are excellent for tourists, there has been much criticism by the poorer locals, as the hotels bring in their own supplies, import everything including their staff, and do not buy locally. Please see the video below about Boa Vista island and if possible, when holidaying in Cape Verde, stick to the locally run, more traditional accommodation.:



In total, around 222 tourist accommodation establishments of various different kinds are available for visitors, including the major resorts, along with small hotels, residences and pensions.

While the varying landscapes of the different islands offer different activities for visitors, the main popular options are wave sailing (a type of windsurfing), as well as many other water sports, fishing, hiking, birding and just plain exploring.  Evenings on all the islands offer a lot in the way of both local entertainment and delicious local cuisine.

Language-wise, the locals speak Portuguese and a Cape Verdean Creole and in the major and more popular centers of the islands, English is reasonably widely spoken.

A video below gives a brief introduction to the history of the islands and anyone interested in seeing more can access a playlist of videos about the islands here.

Photo credits:

• Boa Vista desert (top) and Praia de Chaves CC-by-SA Zé Pinho
• Faja de Agua village on Brava island CC-by-SA Holger Reineccius
• Cesária Évora CC-by-SA As fotos da Virada! 

Culture of Cape Verde: Cesária Évora - Barefoot Diva and the Queen of Morna

Cesária Évora was born on August 27th, 1941 in Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde. She was a popular Cape Verdean singer, dubbed the “Barefoot Diva” for performing without shoes and also called the “Queen of Morna” for her contribution to the popular music of Cape Verde.

“Cise,” as she was known to her friends, was one of six children, and her father, a part-time musician, died when she was seven years old.  As her mother could not cope with the costs of raising all six children, Cesária was placed in an orphanage at age 10.   Always musically inclined, she was persuaded to sing in a sailors’ tavern at the age of 16.  It seems her audience appreciated her singing.

During the 1960s, Cesária began singing on the Portuguese cruise ships that docked in the harbor at Mindelo and also featured on the local radio station.  However, it was in 1985 that she really got the attention she deserved when, at the invitation of Cape Verdean singer Bana, Cesária traveled to Portugal and performed in Lisbon.  There she discovered by the producer José da Silva and invited to record her music in Paris.

It was in 1988 that Cesária achieved success internationally when she released her first album La Diva Aux Pieds Nus, which was recorded in France.  In 1992 she released the album Miss Perfumado which sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide.  This album included one of her most popular and celebrated songs, “Sodade,” which is included below:



She released her album Cesária in 1995 which brought her not only more international success but also her first Grammy Award nomination.  In 1997 Cesária won the KORA All African Music Awards in three categories, "Best Artist of West Africa", "Best Album" and "Merit of the Jury."  Cesária’s album, Voz d’Amor, won a Grammy in the World music category in 2003.

 

Cesária performed a series of concerts in 2010, the last being in Lisbon on May 8.  She regrettably suffered a heart attack two days later and was hospitalized and underwent an operation.  On May 11, 2010, Cesária was taken off artificial pulmonary ventilation and was discharged from intensive care on May 16, heading to a clinic for further treatment.  However, due to her poor health, in late September 2011, her agent announced that she was ending her music career.

At the age of 70, on December 17, 2011, Cesária passed away in São Vicente, Cape Verde, from respiratory failure and hypertension.  According to a Spanish newspaper, Cesária was receiving guests up to 48 hours prior to her death in her Mindelo home (pictured right), well known for always having its doors open to visitors.

Anyone interested in reading the lyrics of Cesária’s music, this website has them in the original Portuguese with translations to English and various other languages.  The following is a YouTube playlist of Cesária’s most famous and well-loved songs:

Read more about the Morna music genre here. 



Photos:
Cesária Évora CC-by-SA As fotos da Virada!
Street and home of Cesária Évora CC-by-SA Magorek

Brava: Island of Flowers in Cape Verde

Brava, which means “wild” in Portuguese, is the smallest inhabited island in the Cape Verde archipelago.  It is also the greenest and is often dubbed the “Island of Flowers.” 

Furna, Brava Island, Cape Verde CC-by-SA F Mira

Virtually the whole island is a stratovolcano, and the island lies in the lee of the massive volcano on Fogo. There are two smaller islands in the north of Brava with 4 islets.  The island is a “Sotovento,” or Leeward island.

Due to precipitation from the trade wind clouds, the island is often covered with a leeward cloud and the vegetation is abundant.  Agriculture is the main economic activity here.  With the favorable environment, date and coconut palms, as well as oleanders, hibiscus, bougainvillea and almond trees flourish here.

Nova Sintra is the main town on Brava and there are five villages to the north of the mountain, including Furna, which has a commercial port, Fajã de Agua and Nossa Senhora do Monte.

There was previously an airport on Brava, inaugurated in 1992, but this was closed due to strong winds and the service officially ended in 2004.  These days the island can be reached by the passenger/cargo ferry, the "Kriola," from Praia and Fogo arriving in the town of Furna.  Taxis and buses are frequent in the area, especially when the ferry is in port.

Nova Sintra - public domain

Nova Sintra is often described as being the most beautiful city in the archipelago, with its attractive and well-kept double story houses.  Close to the Praça Eugénio Tavares in the center of town, it is possible to visit a Nazarene church as well as the traditional, Portuguese colonial Igreja São João Baptista.   From the town square it is easy to reach the town’s market and of interest, when entering the town from the east, a stone replica of the Columbus ship, Santa Maria, welcomes visitors.

Main Street of Furna - public domain

Furna is the home of the main harbor on Brava and is located on the east coast of the island.  As mentioned above, the ferry Kriola runs to and from this port.

 The valley of Faja de Agua CC-by-SA Holger Reineccius

Fajã de Agua is a quaint and beautiful village on the northwestern coast of the island, around four kilometers from the capital.  The town is involved in fishing and agriculture and there is a beautiful hiking path out to the pilgrimage church of Nossa Senhora do Monte.  One kilometer from the village there is a natural swimming pool, pictured further down this page, and further to the south Porto do Portete offers a dark sand beach, which is not quite as easy to access.

 

Faja de Agua village on Brava island CC-by-SA Holger Reineccius

 Natural swimming pool in Fajã de Agua CC-by-SA Torbenbrinker

Bay of Faja CC-by-SA Holger Reineccius

In the heart of the island, Nossa Senhora do Monte is a small village, known as a place of pilgrimage in the past.  The town is surrounded by mountains with Monte Fontainhas, Brava's tallest mountain reaching a height of 976 meters, close by.  The town offers several shops and bars in the main street as well as a Catholic pilgrimage church and Adventist church.  The village can be accessed several times a day from Vila Nova Sintra by bus.

Brava is well-known in the traditional morna circles of being home to the musician Eugénio Tavares; his music was the traditional Cape Verdean morna and he wrote in the local Creole.   A statue has been erected in the main square of Vila Nova Sintra (named after him as Praça Eugénio Tavares), and is surrounded by a lovely garden.

The video below gives a photo tour of Brava, backed with the beautiful song, "Cabo verde tera estimada" by Cesaria Evora.

Santa Luzia: Abandoned island of Cape Verde

One of the Barlavento (or Windward) Islands in the Cape Verde archipelago, Santa Luzia lies between São Nicolau and São Vicente.  

With an area of approximately 35 square kilometers, the highest point on the island is Monte Grande, at an elevation of 395 meters.

Back in the eighteenth century the island was home to a small agricultural population.  However, desertification led to the island being abandoned, although it did, apparently, act as a hermitage for some time.

A meteorology station was built on the island in the 20th century.

Photo: CC Attila.bertalan

Maio: Sleepy tranquility in Cape Verde

Maio (May in English) is located south of the island of Boa Vista and to the east of Santiago.  The easternmost Sotavento (Leeward) island of Cape Verde, Maio is known for its sandy beaches, a beautiful forest and sleepy tranquility, away from the madding crowds.

 

Quaint and quiet towns are dotted around the island, with narrow streets of colorful buildings and homes, offering a sense of sheer tranquility.  Maio is a peaceful and beautiful place where time seems to stand still. 

A little more lively is the capital of the island, Vila do Maio, which is situated right on the ocean in the southwest of the island.  

Popular places to visit include the Praça Fina, a plaza in the center of town which serves as the meeting place for the locals during the evenings.   

Close by is a market hall offering groceries for sale.

Running west from Vila do Maio, the Praia da Vila is worth a visit and to the east, Praia Ponta Preta, excellent for swimming.

Up in the forested area in the west of the island can be found the towns of Morrinho and Calheta.  Morrinho appears to be pretty much deserted and many of its houses are vacant.  However, Calheta is a pretty little town with colorful houses.

Close by, the town of Morro is nestled in a grove of coconut palms and offers a lovely swimming beach with fine sand.  This beach is popular with the turtles during the summer as they lay their eggs and visitors are asked to respect them and keep their distance from the nests of eggs, as the turtles can easily become unsettled and desert their nests.

Landscapes on the island vary from desert-like terrain, to salt marshes, to hilly landscapes.   

There are limestone valleys and acacia forests, forming the largest continuous woodland region of the Cape Verde archipelago.

Birders will enjoy seeing a variety of feathered friends, including cream-colored coursers, ospreys, bar-tailed larks, as well as sea swallows and waders, down in the saline pools close to Vila do Maio.

Accessing the island is not the easiest, as Maio only has air connections with Praia, and flights do not run on a regular basis.  While the harbor on the island is large enough to handle ships, there are also few maritime connections for tourists.  Due to this, plan well if you intend to visit Maio during your stay in Cape Verde.

Enjoy scenes from Maio in the video included below:

Photos:

• Floral landscape on Maio CC-by-SA Francisco Deusvando
• Aerial view of Maio in the public domain
• Vila do Maio and beach CC-by-SA SkipperPat
• Vila do Maio boat, doorway and street view CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Pedro Hormigo