Cape Verde - 2013

We visited Cape Verde twice, both times as part of trans-Atlantic cruises from Barcelona and Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.  Our first visit was to the island of St. Vincent (Sao Vicente) and the second to Santiago Island with the capital city, Praia.

Cape Verde is an island country in West Africa that is officially known as the Republic of Cabo Verde. It is an independent country located in the Atlantic Ocean, made up of ten volcanic islands, 385 miles off the west coast of Africa. It was a part of Portugal until 1975, when it became independent.  The population is primarily of African descent.

Cape Verde was important during the heyday of the African Atlantic slave trade in the 16th and 17th centuries.  In modern times it’s used as a stopover for small boats making an Atlantic crossing and has also become a destination for cruise ships making the passage from Europe to Brazil.

On our second visit, in 2018, Misti didn’t feel like leaving the ship, so I explored on my own. Really not much to see, but the market was in full swing and gave me an opportunity to get some great photos, especially of the women selling their various food products. 

As I strolled through the market and town square, observing the people and buildings, and looked out at the Oceania cruise ship anchored in the harbor, I thought about the enormous cultural and economic distance between the cruise ship passengers and the residents of Cape Verde.  Two very different worlds, representing the great chasm that exists between peoples of this planet. 

Art Faibisch

June, 2019