Cape Verdean arts and music
Music and art in Cape Verde is a traditional part of life. Most Cape Verdean Music is often inspired by the brutal history and culture of the different islands.
Festivals are an important past time for the local people. The biggest celebration takes place on the island Sao Vincente. Mindelo has a festival each February, The Creole Festival. The Festivals are inspired by the Carnival festivities and costumes of Brazil with a Portuguese Twist.
Cape Verdean Cultural Center is located in Praia, which shows performances and exhibitions and sells books, music, and artifacts but Graphic art production is limited.
Crocheting is popular among women. Textiles were traditionally produced on large looms in a time-consuming process but this is rare today. The island of Boa Vista is known for its clay pottery.
Fogo is known for small carvings made from hardened lava. There is also some basket weaving, embroidery, woodworking, and other crafts, but the majority of items sold at the markets are imported from Africa.
Music and dance are a focal point of Cape Verdean culture. Traditional sounds include funana, which is played on an accordion and an iron bar that serves as a rhythm instrument. Batuque is performed by a circle of women who beat out rhythms on plastic sacks held between their legs.
Both types of cape verdean rythmn are very African-influenced and are particular to the island of Santiago. Another traditional form of music is the morna which is a slower, more Portuguese-influenced ballad. Each type of music has a specific dance that goes with it.
In most parts of Cape Verde you will be able to find live, traditional music being played in the bars, hotels and restaurants around the towns. many of the hotels have picked up on this and are doing cape verdean culture nights where you can sample the food of cape verde along with the song and dance of the islands as well as some of the arts.