The Jongieux house ...

The Jongieux house has such a special ever changing beauty ... that everytime I approach it I don't exactly know what to expect ... though I must confess it has never disappointed  me..., be it in  Autumn or Winter when it is covered in snow or Spring with its  green grass "sprinkled" with little (almost invisible" ) wild flowers and the blooming trees ...

Just like "love at first sight" I was "seduced" the moment I set my eyes on it and I feel it might be difficult  to feel the same way  for  any other ...

 Yet ... only the future will tell and I hope I am wrong in thinking this way ..., as it won't be easy to let go of it ...

The card games for the children of Calheta ... and other issues ...

These are the card games I have bought for the children of Calheta with the money gently provided by two colleagues (Carlos Saboga and Helder Pereira). They will certainly be put to good use next time I travel to Cape Verde. 

Although I have just been back,  I am already thinking about subjects I feel the children might be interested in ... and gathering material which may be associated to them, so as to be able to start working on a potential workshop soon, irrespective of the fact that there won't be any this year.

I have piles of  children's books and other artistic material I have been buying over the last years, whose only certainty is that they will  eventually be used someday ...


Having been to France last weekend has also allowed me to buy  additional material that I  know I won't easily find  around here. Part of it was gently offered by Christian and I know it will continue to be so.

From France have come the latest news regarding the children of Calheta ... two more people (Charlotte and  Breitenstein) have joined the group of "godparents" ...

May they be as happy and proud as we all are with "our protegées" ... Their future may depend on us ... more than we can even think of  ...

The second hand clothes ... and the batuco ...

The second hand clothes some of my colleagues collected  and which were sent to Sibylle by ship at the end of last year were given to some of the peasants from a  community which is located near Calheta.

The women and one man  proudly wearing some of the second hand clothes which were handed out.

According to some historians, the Cape Verdean music and dance underpins  the Cape Verdean life by drawing meaning from collective and often brutal past  colonial experiences and although some evolving musical forms may now sound fairly European others are essentially African, with "Batuco" (singing and dancing)  being considered the most reminiscent of Africa, though its origin is still fairly obscure.

This community has a "batuco" group with  singers and dancers of different ages ... but this ancient rhythm which is often  provided by surrogate drums (rolled cloth held between the legs and pounded with the hands) is being passed onto the younger generation within this community, and so is the dance that goes with it  - a slow rythm at first, which soon reaches a climax moment when the pounding of the "panos" is faster and the gyrating  of the hips of the dancers accompany   the ever growing rythm of the song  and "drumming"...

The images which follow speak louder than any possible description ...

May we learn with this small community how to preserve our cultural inheritage ... and may solidarity never die ... 

Note: All photos were  taken by Sibylle 

Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde - The final day (the 12th of March 2011)

Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde

Saturday, the 12th of March 2011
The party (still)

Soon after we handed the "Art pieces" to all of the girls who had attended the "Arts and Crafts" workshop, Sibylle made a speech on behalf of  Beat and the ADEC Academy thanking me for the committment throughout the whole week and knowing I am an art lover they both  offered me a beautiful Rabelados oil painting.

I have been finding it harder to leave without getting too emotional about it and I feel it has a lot to do with the fact that after five one week workshops in three years I already see many differences ... not only in terms of what the children can (now) achieve but also regarding their behavioural attitudes.

I had no time to "get involved" with the families this time (but with just a few), as I was overburdened, but  feel I honestly should, as part of the  so called "success" of this may also lie on the influence I can have within the families. 

Marie Hélène took  quite a few photographs of the girls with their mothers and siblings as they were leaving ... and  as I was looking at them wondered whether their dreams might coincide in some way with their mothers' (though I very much doubt they will ...).

Diva (Left) and Eduardo (Right) with their mothers

Carla (Left) and Rosana (Right) with their mothers and younger siblings respectively.

Daniela with her mother

Praia, Palmarejo

We drove to Palmarejo in Praia where we spent quite a relaxing social evening with Graça and her husband ...  eating traditional food (catchupa and cuscus with honey) talking about everything and nothing.

They have had their first child just two months ago and Graça jokingly tried to talk me into teaching Glorinha the coloured sand techniques when she gets older ...

Jokingly or not ... I feel there is a strong connection between me and the Cape Verdians ... and even if it is just to see how the children progress ... I know I'll be around ...

Graça with her husband and  little Glorinha together with their nephews.

Note: I owe my gratitude to everyone who has contributed towards the happiness of these children throughout the whole week in some sort of way:

- The "godparents" (Maria João, Gabriela, Isabel, Paula, Paula Marina, Lurdes, Carla Brígida, Carla Oliveira, Carla Carreira, Sandra, Cecília, Carlos, Luis, Salomé, Célia, Surama, Sérgio, Rosário, Noëlle, Marie Hélène, Fátima, Manuela Reduto, Cristina Marques and Celeste);

- The ones who contributed with toys (Cristina, Elsa and the "coachers" of the Gymn I attend);

- The ones who contributed with money I have used for some extra clothes and to buy 35 stamped cards   the children  were handed to let the "Godparents" know how they are doing throughout the year (Luisa and Ana Maria);

- The ones who contributed with clothes (Anabela, Isabel, Carla Carreira, Maria João, Ana Maria, Sílvia, Paula and Carla Brígida) some of which were distributed among the peasants in Calheta and surrounding villages, and some of which were sold, having the obtained money reverted towards the drinks and biscuits provided to some of the children over 6 days;

- Club ANA for having provided 30 T-shirts for the "Softball" girls;

- Lurdes for having given me all of the previous workshop photos for free; 

- Christian, Marie Hélène and Carla Brígida for having contributed with some artistic material and games;

-The "silent " supporters" (mainly the ones who follow my activites by reading the blog);

- The Schellmann's for having lodged me and provided my meals during the week;

- The ADEC academy for having trusted my professional capacity and allowed me to use the academy's premises;

- Marie Hélène for her daily classroom help, as well as Sibylle, Britta and Duche for theirs;

- The Maire for having provided the transport to and from Praia airport;

but

 My special gratitude goes out to  my late deceased daughter Faye for having inspired me, as well as  my daughter Mia and my boyfriend Christian for being my everyday "supporters", but above all it goes out to the children, who were the main actors in the whole scenario ... they were the ones I did this for ...

As I am writing this there are five more confirmed "Godparents"  (Luis and his girlfriend, Marco Tavares, Francisco Lisboa, and Carlos Saboga) who will provide for the school needs of  Eunice, Kevin, Nolita, Jessica and Eunice de Jesus respectively) plus  five potential "Godparents" on a waiting list.

Apart from the money I have been given by the five mentioned people above, I have also been given extra money by Carlos Saboga and Helder Pereira for school material (which in given time will be shown in the blog).

Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde - the final day ...

Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde

Saturday, the 12th of March 2011
The party

I was so worried about the whole thing that it wasn't  but when I started addressing those who had come for the party that I realised the room was almost full. Most of the children had to sit on the ground.

Three images of  the audience prior to the starting of the party

The group of 12 boys were the first to get "on stage" to sing their "rap version" of the Sound of Music "Do, Re, Mi"  which they did beautifully having ultimately got a strong applause from the audience. They would later have to sing it again for the Maire (who was unfortunately unable to be present at the beginning of the party), and once more sang it as beautifully as in the first time.

The singing group

The young actors followed suit and not only got a reaction from the  audience several times (due to the interactive performing) but ended up also getting a huge applause at the end. Had it not been for a dog which started barking half way through (which in spite of the door being closed could be heard) and the theatrical play would have been perfect ...

"João Macacão" in one of his performing acts (Left).
The narrator and actors thanking the audience's applause at the end of the play (Right)

(from left to right - Lou, Valter, Pedrilson, Eduardo, Gerson, Kevin and Marline).





Then it was time to "praise" the parents who were present at the party by handing them twenty presents (silk pillow cases, scarves, sewing kits, embroidered napkins and other utility objects) corresponding to ramdomly sellected numbers which were distributed as they entered the "exhibition" room. This I have always found to be a "precious" moment for the parents who come to their children's party and who have rarely been given anything throughout their entire life (apart from the hardships they have had to face everyday).

The ones who attended the Portuguese Language development classes were given the books they  worked on during the week and the ones who attended the Arts and Crafts lessons were called in (one by one) to collect their "pieces of Art, but not before everyone had had the chance to see them.

Elcy and her sister Eunice (Left) looking at their "Art pieces" being exhibited.  Looking at the Art exhibition (Right).

Having received their  working books (Left). Waiting for their turn (Right).

Daniela (Left) and Carla (Right) being handed their "pieces of Art" respectively.

(To be continued)

Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde - The final day (The 12th of March 2011);

Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde


Saturday, the 12th of March 2011

We shall be having the  "workshops' final party" this afternoon, in which all of the intervening children will be present, either to sing the song and play the theatrical parts they have prepared all week long or have their "Art pieces" exhibited for the whole community, but  before we organise the room we'll be watching the  "sofball" group playing at Manguinho, as part of their weekly activities. 

Sibylle got them organised in three different groups, each of which had to do different exercises under the leadership of three "trainers". All girls seemed excited and we (Marie Hélène and I) were witnesses to how highly committed they all were throughout the whole morning.

Under Sibylle's leadership (Left).

With Britta in control of the exercises (Right).

Learning the bat striking techniques with Daniel (Left). Britta and her mother in charge of a group (Right).

Playing the game (Left).
Playing a different game, as these "game watchers" slid down on empty  plastic bottles (Right);

By 10H00, Sibylle, Marie Hélène, Britta and I headed towards the ADEC academy to organise the room for the three o'clock party, which took us about three quarters of an hour.

Marie Hélène and Britta hanging the sequencing coloured pages on the wall.

I still had time to walk around Calhetona in search of a girl I hadn't seen for the last three days and whom I was naturally worried about, as well as visit some of the people I won't have a chance to say goodbye to, as soon after the party, Marie Hélène and I shall be going to Praia to have dinner with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education before flying back home around one in the morning. 

As we reached Sibylle's (right on time to have lunch), there was Nate with a whole oven made duck (she had killed for the occasion), which made me once more realise (what I knew already) how thankful these people are ...

The "duck' (Left) and Nate, Benedita, Marie Hélène and Sibylle "around" it (Right).



What a marvellous lunch it was ...


Prior to the party I still had time to distribute some of the many things (colouring pencils, boxes of paint, "Art projects", reading and sticker books, puzzles and other artistic material) I had been keeping at Sibylle's and which I felt could be of good use for some of the children (particularly those who have attended more than three workshops already) who would able to do these things on their own, rather than have them wait till I am around next time (God only knows when that will be).

I wish I could have "captured" their smiles ... they were all extremely happy and more than being happy with the things they were given ... I felt they knew it had been an act of trust  on my part ... They knew I believed they would make good use of them ...







Note: The yellow T-shirts the "softball" girls were wearing had been provided by  the Lisbon ANA (Airports and Air Navigation) club.

Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde - the seventh day (cont.)

Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde

Friday, 11th of March
On the way back to the village

As Marie Hélène and I walked back to Calheta we finally got a glimpse of the kindergarten where some of the small children spend their days. I have been told there is not much entertainment material, so I hope I can bring some next time I come to Cape Verde, as this time it was practicallly impossible to do so with the amount of material I was bringing to work with such a huge amount of children, though I still had some at Sibylle's.

The kindergarten

Climbing to the upper part of the village to collect the ordered coconut cakes, I came across some children playing on the bay, whose faces were quite familiar. Just as we were reaching Dona Lala's we saw a little goat with a rather strange wooden stick attached to its nose, which we were told by a child that it was not to allow it to suck the mother's milk ... In spite of not exactly knowing how it works ... I was "impressed" with the "apparatus". 

Playing football on the beach of the fishing port (Left). The little goat

English class

06H00/07H30

The girls have today shown me they have effectively made some progress in the development of the English Language and may be able to take advantage of some of the response strategies they have learned in these evening classes.

Regarding the diary writing exercise they have submitted (with one exception and two "deviations" to the proposed theme) most girls presented long descriptions of their day-to-day sequencing not highlighting the moments, in what I understood (understand now) to be the routine like absence of less important moments, as anything that happens is considered of importance even if it happens on a fairly regular basis.

The diary and notebook I had for the person who wrote the best diary page was therefore given to one girl, whose approach was quite interesting, as she treated the diary as a friend she was talking to. Not to discourage the other girls (who am I to assess what is important or not in one's life?) I decided to give each of them a precious stone necklace, having been handed out (in turn) several letters which I fortunately decided not to read in class otherwise I would have cried ... because they were thank you letters ... and in a society where most people ignore the effort we put into things to make them work ... I unexpectedely felt I was not used to being praised  in such a heartfelt way ...

Being awarded souvenirs for their effort.

Village people (wherever you  may be ...) seem to be a lot humbler than those (in general terms) who live in the cities ... maybe because the hardships of life have taught them to be in such a way ... but they are equally a lot more thankful than their "higher class neighbours"  seem to ... and judging from the things I have been given to either take for the "godparents" as thank you "gestures" for what they have been doing for the children or even for the dedication and committment towards the community ... I must say there is a lot to learn from these Cape Verdians ...

One of the "presents" ("feijão pedra" and eggs, wrapped up in a "souvenir" cloth the boy's mother won last year at the party tombola). Marie Hélène and her "protégéé" with the "present" she was given ("feijão pedra" and "corn").

Note: Both of these ingredients (feijão pedra and milho) are used in the typical Cape Verdian cuisine.

I always feel sad when it is time to go back to my daily routine in Lisbon ... it is like a sense of "leaving behind" children I believe I could do a lot for, if I were to live here ... but the tought of  (always) coming back ... "reduces" that feeling of latent sadness ...