Cape Verde: Volcanoes, pristine beaches, carnival | DW Documentary

Cape Verde: Volcanoes, pristine beaches, carnival | DW Documentary

an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Cape verd residents of these craggy volcanic mountains look out over an endless expanse of [Music] sea in contrast to the rugged landscape the special sound of Caper music is luxuriant Soulful and [Music] Melancholy in the 15th century Portuguese Sailors discovered the uninhabited archipelago the mostly Barren volcanic islands are fringed with end beaches fishing Agriculture and tourism are the main sources of income for the cape verdeans he’ll soon be shaking things up around here that’s Nuno the drummer it’s only 4 weeks till Carnival a beloved Cape Verdian tradition it’s the most important date in the country’s calendar Nuno has two things to take care of before then build building drums and finding more drummers for the carnival parade the sports field is a wash with new Talent not just athletic but musical too take 12-year-old jazon [Music] [Music] this year is his first time he’s never played at a carnival before and he doesn’t know how to do it yet we’re doing basic training [Music] here I’m nervous I’ve got goosebumps already I’ve never done this before and I don’t want to do anything wrong JP a [Music] little an independent African country Cape F’s Islands are located some 600 km west of Sagal in the Atlantic Ocean nine of the islands are inhabited there are also smaller uninhabited isets Santa anau is the greenest and perhaps the most beautiful of the cape ver islands and serves as the Islanders fruit and vegetable garden sugar cane flourishes here alongside coconuts bananas papaya bread fruit trees and avocados coffee beans grow on the mountain slopes below the less fertile island of salente is kept well stocked with fruit and vegetables thanks to its neighbor its capital mindelo is home to the largest port in Cape ver and is a meeting point for globe trotting [Music] Sailors keep bird is not a prosperous country it lacks industry and natural resources but it does have a homegrown treasure a special genre of music known as [Music] Morna Claudia is a Young musician she’s actually studying law like her friend miria but music is her passion she takes the bus down to the beach to compose a new Mora the nostalgic melancholic life affirming music of Cape verd Claudia wants to keep the musical tradition of Cape ver alive with her songs and to earn some money in the process just like her role model cesaria aora who made cape verds mouras and Cape verd 2 famous the world over a central theme is sodade the pain of leaving cape verd and the longing for home cap verd has long been a country of [Music] immigration like many here Claudia is Catholic and deeply religious a legacy of the Island’s Portuguese [Music] colonizers cesaria aora is buried in the Delo Cemetery to this day she’s a role model for the Young Generation of female musicians who like Claudia hope for a better future many of their songs address the cape Verdian Dilemma to stay and suffer or leave and long for home others are about love poverty or moraba the local Creole word for hospitality [Music] on Claudia takes inspiration from Cape fd’s stunning natural [Music] landscapes her newest song celebrates Monte car the mountain with the face a famous mandelo landmark [Music] [Music] soon she’ll be performing this new song for the first time [Music] close to the beach in mindelo the capital of salente the sea seems close enough to [Music] touch there’s an abundance of fish in Cape verd but houses outside the Capal are not connected to the water supply system all the water comes from a single desalination plant if you’re not connected to its pipes the canister is your only [Music] [Music] option at the highest point of the island Miguel Antonio has been especially creative [Music] he’s worked out how to procure the precious water he needs for irrigating his garden on the cliff he fishes it out of the clouds [Music] here in this net the water condenses during the night the net gets wet at night and the water runs down the and then flows into the sistern Dr this is the sstn where Miguel collects water vital both for himself and his garden every night 50 to 60 liters of water accumulate here that will hold 4,000 L A Lot grows on his fertile 100 square met plot carrots Ana seed citronella lettuce Rosemary and others is he happy with his life yes very happy the garden and the water are his livelihood along the road just above his garden he keeps a small stand here he transforms his herbs into tea and schnaps and sells them to locals and tourists the rest he keeps for [Music] himself from his spectacular clifftop Garden Miguel Antonio has a magnificent view of the Island’s capital [Music] mandelo on the neighboring island of santau a piece of sugar cane from the roadside side is a popular snack on the way home from school there’s a school bus for the pupils who live further away pupils like Zera 16-year-old jera lives with her grandmother uncle aunt and their children in one of the small Mountain Villages her father’s not present which isn’t uncommon in Cape verd and her mother is also absent [Music] money is tight the legal minimum wage is about €130 per month jzer must also contribute to the family income after school she earns extra money with donkey deliveries spectacular as the landscape is it’s not easy to navigate many Journeys are only possible by donkey and many people also rely on donkeys for the crucial resource of water pipes are often out of service and some areas are not connected to the water supply system at all Elton has three donkeys which he rents out to school girls like juera when he doesn’t need them himself it’ll take juera and the donkey an hour and a half in the scorching heat to transport this heavy canister to a house high up on the mountain it’s important there are many elderly people living in the houses here there isn’t enough water and the pipe supply isn’t reliable so we have to load the water onto the donkeys and we also bring them their groceries juzer will earn about €2 from Elton for the strenuous climb she’s expected on the Mountaintop I have to take the water to the house up there I always do it when I come home from school I get some money for it [Music] it’s a difficult Journey with a stubborn donkey but the place itself is [Music] special it’s beautiful here the houses and the green after the rain you can only see it from up [Music] here made [Music] it Mario Souza lives here with his family it’s 5 km by foot to the nearest Village [Music] kaios the donkeys are vital for survival here for transportation we’d have no water without the donkeys but we’d also be missing other Basics sacks of materials cement Stones Etc everything a good donkey is so [Music] important the fruit and vegetables supplied by Santo anau to the neighboring islands are also transported by Donkey in the Market Hall of mindelo Claudia and her friend musia are shopping they want to cook Cape Bird’s national dish [Music] Kupa you could also put a meat filling in it so we have everything for the Kupa yes is the corn in the bag the right one for kacha thank you [Music] M the traditional recipe includes both Meat and Fish [Music] they take the bus home do we cut it into pieces or wash it first the main ingredients of cachupa are corn beans vegetables Meat and Fish the hearty stew simmers for hours on a medium heat once cooked the traditional dishes reheated and eaten over several days [Music] katalina lives in one of the most expensive neighborhoods near the beach she’s a dentist and a huge fan of Carnival this year a very special challenge lies ahead for the first time she’s a carnival Queen in carnival the Queen’s dress plays a central role it has to be unusual respect traditions and have a theme Carnival is fun but it’s also culture and tradition I’m interested in Social equality having a balance between the winners and the losers this dress is Katarina’s design it requires a lot of fabric and much like the responsibility of being Queen it’s weighty my dress has a metal base the costume represents the balance between rich and [Music] poor but it also has to be a bit sexy yes of course there’s this part open with pearls the more beautiful the dress the better [Music] as a dentist katalina earns good money the dress will cost around €300 being a queen requires a lot of investment Dena has a Sewing Studio in one of the poorer districts of the city it’s also cloudiest neighborhood far from the beach closer to the mountain 4 weeks before Carnival it’s all systems go here Dena and her seamstresses have their hands full making costumes for Carnival Dena is stressed most carnival costumes are fairly standard so they don’t cost much the Queen’s dress is a big exception and sewing this dress is a job for the boss that’s Dena and this is how it should [Music] look can it be done in time for Carnival yes yes hard or easy hard does it look queenly yes yes um the circumference of the extravagant dress is recorded on the floor Dena isn’t thrilled she’s under a lot of time pressure everyone is relaxed except her it’s always the same everything comes at the last moment just before Carnival and I only have four [Music] weeks 3 weeks later there’s not much to show yet first they try out a model an employee serves as a substitute [Music] Queen will there be enough time before Carnival more or less [Music] time is running out for Nuno 2 his red suit and matching Red Hat still have to be made for Carnival the band leader outfit cesaria ever is omnipresent in nuno’s Workshop there’s no money for drums or costumes they create everything themselves including the music I’ve come up with my very own Rhythm for the carnival it’s a kind of mixture of SCA regy and galloping horses for [Music] right next to the cesaria everra cemetery is guitar maker ano’s Workshop Morna the music of Cape verd also serves as the collective memory of the cape Verdian its central theme sodade expresses The Melancholy and yearning for home felt by those who’ve had to leave their country due to Poverty before the first performance of her new morning songs Claudia wants to give her old guitar an overhaul aneto the guitar maker is not very impressed with her plastic backed instrument you need a real Cape Verdian guitar we have the best ones here I’ll show you one [Music] may I try one Claudia can’t afford aneto guitars but there’s no harm [Music] dreaming I think the guitar she has is no longer adequate for her don’t you agree [Music] for my kind of music one of your guitars would be [Music] great for a brief time she gets to hold a really good instrument it costs around €600 far too expensive for Claudia she’ll be sticking with the old guitar for now [Music] [Music] Nuno plays a somewhat Harder Faster Rhythm the batucadas are the drum sections of the carnival parades they’re a key part of Cape Verdian musical culture mindelo the second largest city in Cape verd is the cultural center of the archipelago Nuno drummers are rehearsing on the soccer field as they do every evening before Carnival Jon’s in the lineup some 150 drummers will come together for the event the neighbors can forget about sleep during these weeks but most of them are taking part anyway either as musicians or dancers every evening there’s rehearsal luno is euphoric we were the first group to start rehearsing at this point I’d say we’ll be ready [Music] what looks like an idyllic Beach was once a place of horror for some three centuries this beach was the site of one of the world’s largest slave markets [Music] under Portuguese colonial rule thousands of Africans were chained to this pillar before being sold on to the Americas and the Caribbean today sidji velia the former capital is a world heritage site after centuries of Portuguese colonial rule Cape verd finally became independent in 1975 [Music] the country’s modern-day capital is about 15 km away it’s called pra which means Beach like the old capital it’s located on Cape Ferd’s largest island Santiago 70% of Cape Bird’s population are Creole descendants of both enslaved Africans and the Portuguese colonizers the cape bird Creole language developed from the communication between slaves and enslavers both Portuguese and creole are still spoken in Caper today around 20 kilometers from the capital lies the Tranquil town of sa Domingos here is where pascoal lives he’s the last Cape Verdian who can still build and play the traditional instrument of the enslaved the simoa its base is a hollowed out gourd the simoa is the oldest string instrument in Cape verd it goes back centuries and has neither European nor American Origins it has to have come from the African continent and is mentioned in slave accounts from the [Music] time the exact year this happened isn’t known but a group of slaves fled to the mountains they were dubbed the bad guys in nature they found the materials they needed to build an instrument and so a simoa replica was created the first in Cape ver [Music] and this marked the beginnings of the first specifically Cape Verdian music genre called the batuk there are still goats in the mountains today just like back then pascoa needs their skin for the soundbox the animals can’t be too young or too old some them the next part is more difficult horse tail hair the bow and the strings are made from it so a tire not here and here now the instrument can already be given a rough tuning [Music] it’s important to pascoal that this tradition be kept alive and with it the memory of slavery back in salvis Scent Claudia is also working to keep the cape Verdian musical tradition alive her next performance date is approaching she’s excited but it’s difficult to practice when her mother wants to see her studying law she said Claudia’s thoughts stray from her studies to her new compositions and the performance music is her Refuge her father left when she was very young my life’s never been easy music’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember I was singing along to the radio when I was two and my mother got me a guitar when I was four cesaria aora showed people more music and made it big and brought Cape fared to the attention of the world as a young woman living here today I see that many other young people aren’t listening to our music anymore the music’s starting to disappear but for my part I identify with Morna I can’t allow us to lose our Roots that’s why I Singa it’s difficult to make a living from music things are extremely expensive take the price of a loaf of bread recently it chot up from 150 to 250 escudos the equivalent of around €250 a whole loaf of bread is often too expensive to buy hello do you have some cookies or cornflakes yes sure or anything else to eat cookies thank you that’s a Claudia makes sure to leave some cachupa for her mother to eat when she gets home late in the evening from her job as an accountant Claudia’s mother doesn’t earn much and most of it goes towards her only daughter’s tuition fees about €130 each month El my it’s a constant battle with my mother she keeps telling me music’s no good my child and I tell her yes it is music is a part of me and then she’ll say Claudia go and study Cape virgin music won’t pay your way it’ll do you no [Music] good blue scarf there done have you forgotten anything it’s already 9:15 p.m. the evening of the first performance with the new songs it’s about to [Music] begin the gig will earn her around €30 [Music] but its true worth is [Music] greater Claudia’s songs are helping to keep Cape Verdian music [Applause] alive that song she wrote on the beach about the mountain with the face now it’s live on the concert stage [Music] [Applause] [Music] Kavina 2 is preparing or rather being prepared to be Queen this year’s Queen’s dress has been kept secret from the public until the last [Music] moment katalina is nervous people are already Gathering outside for the carnival and her Queen’s dress isn’t ready [Music] yet Dena is at the end of her rope and Catalina too needs all her strength right now first get into the dress but how [Music] it’s a bit difficult this dress difficult to get into maybe but what Dean’s conjured up in the last 4 weeks is truly spectacular the last few weeks have taken their toll on Dena very very very tired I haven’t slept for 24 hours I’ve worked non-stop no not 24 30 or so it turned out beautifully her parents are here too and they’re so proud but the biggest challenges yet to come how to get up there onto the carnival float with the help of a construction vehicle they head up but it’s not very stable up She Goes it’s shaky it’s tipping will it get [Music] there the Queens in her place high above the people just as she should be down below there is is [Applause] cheering now it can begin Carnival the highlight of the year in Cape ver foree [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] a different part of the parade for new know it’s the culmination of months of preparation his red hat and suit somehow got made ready just in [Music] time but he doesn’t seem entirely satisfied [Music] even the sound of his whistle can’t be heard in the deafening D attention you have to watch [Music] me somewhere in the middle of it all is jazon the soccer player barely recognizable under all the makeup his first Carnival and this is their song their Anthem three things you need in life Health money and love the parade only lasts for one day for one glorious night but they’ve been waiting and preparing it for a whole year in Cape verd it’s the music that brings everyone together [Music]

The African Cape Verde islands have their own distinct genre of music and dance known as “morna”. It’s mostly in evidence during the carnival season across the archipelago that’s located in the Atlantic off the coast of Senegal.

Each of the Cape Verde islands has its own charm and its own diverse landscape: from dramatic volcanic landscapes to the lush gardens of Sao Antão and the endless sandy beaches of Sao Vicente.

The documentary observes the everyday lives of Cape Verde people and hears about their dreams and aspirations. People like the young singer Claudia, the drummer Nuno and Catarina – the carnival queen.

They all love the typical music of Cape Verde, the “morna”, made famous throughout the world by Cesária Évora. It’s best described as a kind of plaintive blues that touches the soul and speaks of lovesickness, longing and the challenges of life. The young singer Claudia idolises Évora. She studies law, but dreams of a career on the stage. Music is her passion and she devotes all her free time to singing and playing the guitar.

Music is also a big deal for drummer Nuno. He leads the drum band at carnival time, the most important date in the Cape Verde calendar. People look forward to this festival for months and anyone who can take part in the preparations, does. Dentist Catarina has a prominent role this year: She’s attending as the carnival queen and is having an elaborate costume made for the big day. Will her appearance be a success?

#documentary #dwdocumentary #capeverde
______

DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.

Subscribe to:
⮞ DW Documentary (English): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocumentary
⮞ DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocumental
⮞ DW Documentary وثائقية دي دبليو (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/dwdocarabia
⮞ DW Doku (German): https://www.youtube.com/dwdoku
⮞ DW Documentary हिन्दी (Hindi): https://www.youtube.com/dwdochindi

For more visit: http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610
Follow DW Documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/
Follow DW Documental on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwdocumental

We kindly ask viewers to read and stick to the DW netiquette policy on our channel: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G