The Boys from Ponta Preta

This is a story about courage, the courage to pursue your dreams regardless of your circumstances in life. It is the story of a young man, Mitú, and his friends, Titik and Djo of Sal, Cape Verde. They all shared a dream to become windsurfers even though they did not have the resources to do so.

They watched the tourists windsurfing the world-class waves at Ponta Preta and determined that one day, they too would learn. They were quite resourceful. They began by helping the tourists, carrying their boards and getting up close to the action to observe and learn how things were done. Then they volunteered to work at one of the local kite and equipment rental shops so they could make a little money to rent and eventually buy their own equipment.

It's also the story of the passion that these young men had for the sport. One of them, Mitú (Oteniel Jorge Monteiro), would eventually go on to become a two-time Kitesurf World Champion almost sixteen years later starting in 2008 when he was 25 years old.

Yet, that is not where the story ends. It's also about entrepreneurship. You see, winning a world championship doesn't pay the bills. These childhood friends started their own kite surfing shop and slowly built it up to a thriving business serving the tourists who visit Sal with rentals and clinics aimed at the enjoyment of kite surfing activity on the island. They also mentor younger Cape Verdean boys who dream of one day becoming champions.

Click on the "more" link below to see the amazing documentary film, directed by Thierry Albert and produced by Sophie Ebrard & Pundersons Gardens, that tells the powerful story in the Boys own words!

Discover Cape Verde via a new YouTube channel!

Here's a compilation of visual information about Cape Verde. This YouTube channel is a well organized collection of YouTube videos that you would probably have a hard time finding on your own. It contains information on just about every topic visitors, tourists and retirees might find of interest about Cape Verde. It is constantly updated. Discover Cape Verde by subscribing to this new channel!

Click here for =>>The Great Cape Verde Adventure Channel

While none of the videos were created by me, there is a lot of good content created by others that is dispersed across YouTube in a very disorganized fashion. I hope that by carefully scrutinizing all of the content by topic and only picking the best examples of what Cape Verde is all about, that you will be assisted in your quest to learn more before you get there. Feel free to share with me any valuable content you think I may have missed.

You want water-sports?

If you're looking for water-sports, the surf off Cape Verde's islands is the place to enjoy it. Just ask Josh Angulo, former Windsurfing World Champion.



Visit Josh's Angulo Center in Sal for everything you'll need to enjoy surfing, including tuition. Of course, this is just one choice for water-sporting activities. You'll find a full range of options on each of the islands from swimming, scuba diving, surfing, wind-surfing, and sports-fishing to just lazing on the beach if that's your thing.

Most of the organized, scheduled activities are found on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista.

Cape Verdean youth ... what are they like?

One important indicator of any nation is the state of its youth. If you are a visitor to the Cape Verde islands and are wondering what the nations young people are like - either because you are thinking of visiting, working or living in Cape Verde, the video below will give you a very good idea, or you are just curious. It shows that Cape Verde's youth are, in some ways, typical of youth everywhere. They enjoy much of the same things that young people everywhere enjoy. But in other important ways, they may be different that youngsters in other more developed nations. As you can see in the video, they are more respectful and welcoming of other cultures than you may find in other places in the world. This is evidence of the Cape Verdean morabezza or hospitality at work.

If a country's future is measured by the example of its young people, then Cape Verde has a very bright future ahead of it.

Sodade d'bo!

If you are not in Cape Verde right at this moment, this video shows what you are missing! The Cape Verdean expression is sodade d'bo or "missing you".



Enjoy the video (by Jose Guerreiro). In my opinion, it's probably one of the best you'll find online, combining every aspect of the daily life and culture of Cape Verde. And the music expressing the haunting tones or morna may even bring a tear to the eyes of those Cape Verdeans who are living in foreign lands. Sodade d'bo indeed!

Cape Verde - a land of rising economic opportunity

Cape Verde has been steadily developing since its independence, and was promoted to the group of "medium development" countries in 2007, leaving the Least Developed Countries category. This is only the second time it has happened to a country!

The island nation, besides being a tropical paradise, is ranked in the top ten among all African nations for its governance. This includes a ranking of #3 out of the 53 African nations in Sustainable Economic Opportunities.



The video above, narrated by Lyn Vaughn - a well know journalist and television reporter from Boston, USA - provides an excellent overview of the economic landscape and opportunities in Cape Verde.

It's an ideal destination whether you're looking for a vacation spot or a new adopted homeland for retirement. Living in Cape Verde is like eating your cake and having it too ... an idyllic location with beautiful weather year round and a strong, growing economy with low inflation. So, if you are in search of an earthly paradise ... your search has finally end!

A spectacular video intro to Cabo Verde, the "Jewel of Africa"

Here are a couple of videos. The first is a brief introduction to the history and culture of Cabo Verde narrated by Tim Reid, a well known American actor and film director. The second describes the geography and climate of the islands.

Both videos cover each of the islands within the archipelago including a look at the relevance of each to the nation's geography and culture.

Cabo Verde International Film Festival 2011

This year, 2011, is the second year for the Cape Verde International Film Festival taking place on the island of Sal, October 13-16. Here is a sample from last year's festival.


CVIFF Workshop Video 2010 from CVIFF on Vimeo.

The master-mind behind the festival is the talented executive producer, Suely Ramos Neves, partner at V!VA Imagens. Suely tells me that the festival is an excellent platform "to bring together Art, Cinema, and Industry; the program for 2011 promises creativity and entertainment through submitted films, special film screenings, the art of cinema workshops, cultural activities, comedy, improvised theater and much more."

You can also find more about the Film Festival on its Facebook page.

There is a lot of creative and artistic talent in "dem dere" islands ... so be there or be square!

Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican?

The first time you meet someone of Cape Verdean ancestry, you may be forgiven for holding this mental image due to the common African and European roots which leads to an external resemblance between some people of the two islands. But these two islands are otherwise figuratively and literally worlds apart in terms of their history and culture, and the experience of their emigrant communities in America.

No one knows this better that Claire Andrade-Watkins, Associate Professor of Visual & Media Arts at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Ms. Adrade-Watson is a second generation Cape Verdean-American and film-maker. She directed and produced the critically acclaimed documentary, "Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican: A Cape Verdean American Story (2006)" that tells the story of the displacement of the Cape Verdean community in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1960s due to urban renewal and gentrification.

Picking up where the previous documentary left off, Ms. Andrade-Watkins is in the post-production phase of a second highly anticipated documentary, "Atlantic Portals," the second in a planned trilogy and will be introduced at the Cabo Verde International Film Festival, October 13-16, on the Island of Sal. in Cape Verde. Be sure to check out the link to the film festival.