Praia, Santiago island - Cape Verde - Strolling around Plateau and Sucupira area - The 27th of November 2014 (morning)

 

After having checked-out of the hotel we strolled around Plateau once more so as to kill time and absorb the last images of Praia before flying back home. Outside Quintal da Música there was a rather interesting advertisement regarding the occupation of children and adolescents during their school holidays which said " Turn your holidays into a piece of Art" and this rather simple yet meaningful quote led me to think on the amount of free time we misuse, whilst we could be turning every minute of it into artistic pieces ...

 

We walked down via the High School square and made our way into the Sucupira surrounding back streets, where we photographed quite a few mural paintings which caught my attention because of their messages - a rainbow flowing out of a brush, the world, movement, appeals to voluntary work, action, the banning of drug consumption or just representing what is going on around in terms of work - car washing. We did see quite a few young men here and in Plateau taking this job quite seriously (one of them could be seen actually scrubbing the wheels).

 

 

We ended up in the outside restaurant stalls area which was beginning to get active. We stood watching two gentlemen playing the "ouril" for some time as a third one explained the moves to us. We learned virtually nothing, let's be honest ... but I still it had been worth the effort.

 

Before we got back up I photographed two mural paintings I particularly liked - one because of the conveyed idea of  people using a "mask" and impersonating someone we they are not and the other one because of the symbolism behind the reclined figure embracing the world and touching Africa in the shape of a heart. 

 

 

Praia, Santiago island - Cape Verde - Batucadeiras da Achada de Santo António at Quintal da Música - The 26th of November 2014 (evening)

 

We decided we would go back to Quintal da Música that evening as there would be a performing group of "batucadeiras". Difficult to define, let alone describe this type of Musical performance pertaining to this particular island is explosive and contagious. It very much depends on the background tapping of the "musicians", the voice of the singer and eventually the frenetic dancing (or rather thigh moving) of the dancers. 

As evening fell we made to Quintal, where we had a rather tasty "risoto" like plate (Cape Verdian style) before the performing act of the Batucadeiras da Achada de Santo António.

 

 

... And what an act it was ... - The voice of the female "caller" of the group was powerful, melodious and at times "raw". She interacted with the public in a rather straight forward way, which inevitably had an impact on both those who could understand what she was saying and the ones who couldn't. (The "batuco" lyrics are almost always life and social politics related, which further enhances the power of this type of "song/dance). The tapping was frenetic at times and as we were led into the "crescendo" the young female dancers would step in and move their thighs in an equally frenetic way.

 

 

At one particular moment throughout the performance a physically impaired lady dancer made her way onto the stage literally dragging herself on the ground and had us all speechless the moment she started dancing (... yes, because tha's what she did, she danced beautifully despite the physical "limitations" ...).

 

 

Then it was time for the dancers to invite guests onto the stage by handing them the white scarves they would have to put around their thighs before starting to "move" them. I was the first one to be handed a scarf, together with a French male guest ... and I feel we didn't do too bad at moving our thighs (the overall atmosphere must have played its part, as it was an ambiance of pure excitement in the room), others followed, from Cape Verdian origin guests to strangers, including the lady who had been serving us.

 

 

It was a magic evening none of those who "participated" in it will easily forget ...