The town of Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente has a number of preserved colonial-style buildings, some nicely renovated, some in varying degrees of disrepair. The city is Cape Verde’s second largest and the 70,000 inhabitants make up 93% of the small island’s population.
But Sao Vicente has an international airport and is the gateway to scenic Santo Antao, and not least, a famous carnival which is the largest in Cape Verde.
Read about Mindelo here: Mindelo, Sao Vicente Cape Verde
Carnival
The Mindelo carnival is influenced by the carnival in Rio and can be seen as a more accessible little sister to this. There are fewer people, less crime and everything is cheaper.
Like all true carnivals it is held on Shrove Tuesday, known as Mardi Gras in French. The date depends on Easter, so it varies from year to year.
Many starts long before the actual carnival gets underway. On Sunday, the week the carnival starts, there are children’s parades and the infamous Mandinga parades. The Mandingas are ethnic groups from West Africa who paint their bodies black and dress in fearsome warrior costumes. There are different groups from different neighborhoods competing for attention, and you can run into them all over the place. On Sunday, when the carnival ends, they have a separate spectacle; the carnival funeral.
Another characteristic group are the so-called mud boys who roam around wearing only their underwear and their bodies smeared in brown mud, often with a broom and a bucket of mud in hand. Wise to keep some distance.
In the evening and throughout the night, the city center streets are filled with young people. Some in costume, some without. Many are quite drunk and go around drinking grouge from plastic bottles, a rum made from sugarcane with a strong moonshine taste. Drums are heard in the distance. But no signs of aggression or bad mood.
Monday at 9 p.m. it’s time for Samba Tropical. This is not part of the official carnival, but are people who also want to parade and have formed their own samba schools. They have their own parade and follow the same route as the official parade the next day. They have been working on costumes since the autumn before. It is an impressive, colorful sight what the many thousands of working hours have produced. They also have fleets, if not as many as on Tuesday.
After the parade, the night ends. These are private parties where tourists are not allowed.
Tuesday is the day for the official carnival groups. This year, 2023, there are 4 competing groups. In the afternoon they gather along the seafront to prepare for the parade. The decorated floats equipped with huge speakers, masks and towers for dancers are wheeled into place. The drummers gather and practice. It’s a cacophony of sound. The dancers line up in good time to practice the dance routine. And everywhere it teems with spectators. Some mingle with the participants, others have lined up along the route hours before the parade. The day before you could see chairs and benches lined up at the curb to secure a place.
There are several stands along the route. Here you must have bought a ticket for 20 Euro in advance to get a seat. I made an attempt to buy a ticket but never figured out how. And really, it was more fun to be able to move around in the hustle and bustle of life. Also, I’m quite a bit taller than the rest and had no problems seeing even if I was standing behind the crowd.
All about Cape Verde here: cape-verde
