As we sail northward from the Cape Verde archipelago towards our final destination of Madeira, a cooling of both sea and air temperatures remind us that we will very soon be out of the tropical waters we entered back at Rio de Janeiro. We are also heading towards Europe from Africa; having begun our voyage in South America that means we have experienced three continents in one voyage, with many guests beginning their travel in a fourth. It has been a voyage of connections and nowhere more so than in Cape Verde.
Recalling the warm welcome and rich experiences of Fogo yesterday, many were struck by the cosmopolitan feel of these economically poor communities. Many people we met seemed to have connections on all sides of the Atlantic. The musical tradition of Cape Verde illustrates this inter-connectedness to perfection, drawing on diverse traditions from Portugal, Brazil, and continental Africa to produce a uniquely haunting amalgam of rhythm and song. A superstar like the late Cesária Ēvora was able to fill concert halls in Paris, where she was known as La Diva aux Pieds Nus from her insistence in taking the to the stage in bare feet as she had always done when performing in her home country. Many materially poor cultures give heightened value to poetic and musical proficiency and Cape Verde is no exception.
A day at sea gave us time to reflect on these experiences and to anticipate what lies ahead as we explore the intercontinental reach of the Lussophone world. A number of presentations from the staff encouraged us in our reflections, beginning with Professor Mark Curran’s affectionate exposition of the epic poetic celebration of Portugal’s heroic age of sea exploration by the 16th-century author Luis de Camões, as much a national hero as Vasco da Gama whose achievement he extolled. They share joint places of honor in the Jeronímos Monastery in Lisbon. To round off the morning Deb Goodwin gave us a fascinating talk on bioluminescence. The afternoon saw a variety of activities in a lighter vein: another session of Liar’s Club; a fish-painting workshop and a guest photo critique.
