Cape Verde was just a short re-fueling stop for us with the possibility of a quick swim in the ocean and a local fish meal. Yet it turned out to be another lesson in life around our world that will remain in our minds and hearts for a long time.
The island of St. Vincent has not seen a drop of rain since 1984. As a result, it magnificent mountains are totally barren. Against their brown backdrop, the local population has painted their house in bright pastel colors and developed a local craft specialty in colorfully painted fabrics perhaps to counter the stark scenery surrounding them. Some even said the place looks like the surface of the moon...
And to stimulate the senses more, the locals delight your ears with amazing music that is prevalent everywhere you go. (pictures to come when we reach Barcelona). Since we arrived on a Satruday, we were able in a couple of hours to witness teens beating drums on the beach, formal bands playing in little town hotels and a band of youg adults jamming in an Internet cafe. We were even lucky to hear some drumming on African drums in the open market as one of our staff asked the vendors if they will let us hear how their drums sound and ended up getting the vendor from Senegal to compete with a local vendor as to whose drumming was better!
As you can imagine, the local music store was one of the nicest of all other stores and is the destination of the European tourists who love to come here. Music also dominates the yearly carnival and a big music festival they hold in the summer. We were told that anyone at Cape Verde can play some form of a musical instrument or at least knows how to drum. Music, they say, is what they have to pass the days that amny times lack any other interesting activity.
The pace of the island was as slow as they come, and no one rushed to talk to us or offer us anything except for a few poor kids, who we were told are sometimes part of an organized thieves group. Mostly, though, we were left to wonder the empty streets and enjoy the warm and mild sunshine...
In my business classes we talked about Cape Verde's ambitions to become a destination for foreign investments. Here and there we saw signs of new resort communities being built for possibly foreigners who would like a second home here. Yet, it was difficult to ascertain whether the locals' dream will become a reality soon. As an alternative, we learned that this Island has the best tasting tuna anywhere and the other islands grow some wonderful coffee. Our guide summed it all by saying "We at St. Vincente do not grow anything except for lots of beautiful children..." Judging by his good looks, many of us females understood why...
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