A procession rich in history

The Carnival of São Nicolau

6 May 2015 | From Lucia of Cape Verde

POSTCROSSING SWAP

Lucia shared that the Carnival is the most important event in her island - São Vicente (the city of Mindelo). It officially takes place in the month of February, but small parades take place from the first days of January. The carnival is a special mixture of Brazilian and African traditions, as the Carnival in Mindelo attracts for its attempt of reproducing the Brazilian carnival, although at the country´s dimension

It is at the island of São Nicolau where one can live the real Kriolu´s carnival. In the Island of Chiquinho (named after the famous character from Baltasar Lopes Novel, Chiquinho) the carnival is played by its own criteria. São Nicolau´s carnival attracts for its unique characteristics which prevails after 80 years of tradition.

It all started with a modest celebration promoted by local youngsters transforming later into one of the main attraction of the whole island of São Nicolau. And in February, the number of visitors to the city of Ribeira Brava, where carnival is played on the city streets, rises significantly as a result.

Source: caboverdeonline

Island of Boa Vista

Rabil, Boa Vista Island

6 May 2015 | From Lucia of Cape Verde

POSTCROSSING SWAP

Boa Vista, literally 'beautiful view', is the easternmost and third-largest island of Cape Verde. While mass tourism has already reached the smaller neighbouring island of Sal, life on Boa Vista is a bit more authentic. The capital of the island of Boa Vista, Sal Rei, looks quite cosy and almost sleepy, even though more than half of the island’s 12,000 inhabitants live here.

Rabil, located southwest of the island, is a town on the island of Boa Vista, Cape Verde. It was the island's former capital. Rabil is the island's second largest town. You can visit a little pottery workshop and the São Roque church. Otherwise, the village makes a rather deserted impression. The Fundo Figueiras district in the hamlet of Norte has a pretty little church, Igreja São João Baptista, with white and pastel facades. The little houses are very colourful.

Source: Cape Verde

My first postcard from Cape Verde

The Cape Verde Islands

6 May 2015 | From Lucia of Cape Verde

POSTCROSSING SWAP

Cape Verde or Cabo Verde is an island country spanning an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean. The Cape Verde archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands, establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Ideally located for the Atlantic slave trade, the islands grew prosperous throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, attracting merchants, privateers, and pirates.

The Cape Verde islands consist of two small (volcanic in origin) archipelagos, about 400 miles off the western coast of Africa. The islands gained their independence on July 5, 1975, and politically has remained a stable democracy; however, as of 2007 Cape Verde is considered as a developing nation. Most of the indigenous people are descendants of African slaves, and some still speak Crioulo, a Creole dialect. The local economy depends on agriculture and limited tourism.