Colonial heritage
Cidade Velha, the historic heart of bustling Ribeira Grande, is arguably Cape Verde's most famous landmark, and it's easy to see why: it was the first European colonial town to be built at this latitude. From its origins in the 16th century, it retains part of its urban layout of perfectly laid-out cobbled streets. The old town was secured by the São Felipe Fortress, a stone-built fortress whose firing platforms facing the sea can still be seen. But the most astonishing remains are those of the Cathedral, which was the first religious edifice built in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recent excavations have uncovered the former chapel of the Holy Spirit, the church altar, a bishop's tomb and numerous decorative objects, including earthenware, testifying to the building's importance.
The church was one of the landmark buildings of colonization, and it was around it that the new towns were organized. This is particularly true of São Filipe, famous for other superb witnesses to the Portuguese presence: the sobrados, veritable urban palaces lining the city's many squares. They can be recognized by their finely crafted wooden balconies and verandas, their four-sloped roofs covered with terracotta or wooden tiles, and their organization around a shaded inner courtyard called a quintal, often decorated with azulejos. This paved courtyard may also be accompanied by a second, smaller, dirt courtyard. Access to the upper floors is via a wooden staircase which, when outside, is connected to the balcony. Each sobrado has its own particularity, notably in terms of pastel colors, but all bear witness to a colonial architecture adapted to climatic conditions: balconies are openwork to provide shade and ventilation, rooms are high and spacious to facilitate the evacuation of hot air, and courtyards are often embellished with cooling pools. This adaptation to the climate is one of the keys to the architecture of Vila Nova Sintra. While the town has all the characteristics of a colonial city - a geometric urban layout centered around a large square housing the city's key buildings (town hall, post office, courthouse), many of which are adorned with the clean, sober lines of the neoclassical period; fortified towers protecting the town from the sea - it has also developed a unique architecture based on a perfect symbiosis of built and natural heritage. Let yourself be charmed by the green ornamentation on the facades of the houses and by their courtyards with gardens, which echo public parks and gardens. Such is the presence of nature that some even describe this habitat as semi-rural! Another colonial gem is Mindelo, with its ochre-hued houses and shutters and doors painted in powerful greens and blues. Here you'll find the typical colonial urban layout, with wide avenues leading to spacious squares adorned with kiosks, as well as the sobrados with their patios, the protective fort, and two astonishing structures bearing witness to a certain eclecticism. The town boasts a replica of the famous Belém Tower, which marks the entrance to Lisbon's harbour and reproduces the Gothic-Moorish motifs typical of the Manueline Renaissance (twisted ropes carved in stone, armillary sphere, astronomical symbols...). Mindelo is also home to the Governor's Palace , a blend of colonial architecture (colonnaded galleries, balustrades, decorated pediments) and Indian influences (pinkish hues, numerous corbelled windows...). Amazing! As is the urban planning of Praia's historic heart, which bears witness to precise planning strongly inspired by the European ideals in vogue in the 19th century. The surrounding marshes were drained to make them healthier, parks and gardens were laid out, the metric system was adopted and the city's new layout was based on a precise geometric grid to which the elegant lines of the neoclassical buildings respond. But these jewels of colonial architecture failed to hide the realities of a deeply unequal society founded on slavery. The heart of the Cidade Velha, for example, is marked by the pillory square. As beautiful as it is, with its white marble silhouette embellished with Manueline Renaissance motifs, it nonetheless bears witness to the torture and humiliation suffered by the slaves. Similarly, the structure of the sobrados owes nothing to chance. While today's first floors are used for storage, in the past they were reserved for slaves, while the upper floors were reserved for masters... a spatial segregation based on racial segregation. The much more recent Chão Bom penitentiary is a sad reminder of the horrors committed under Salazar's dictatorship. This rectangular fortress, protected by a concrete wall, was built by forced labor. You can still visit the windowless torture cells and the infrastructure of this "death camp" (power station, warehouses, refectory...). Finally, while the Pedra de Lume Salt Works is a testament to true engineering prowess (railway, tunnel, cable car, mechanical workshops...), it is also a testament to the horrors committed during the dictatorship of Salazar), it also bears witness to the very poor living conditions of the workers, who were housed in prefabricated shacks and sheds, or in houses with a single window, while engineers and managers lived in villas..
Amazing native habitat
The Cova, Paul and Ribeira da Torre Natural Park is home to some real treasures of native architecture. The original habitat was made of basalt stone and clay masonry, with one door and two windows. The sugarcane straw roof was laid over a structure made of rush canes tied with sisal rope (agave exploited for its leaves, from which textile fibres are extracted). The park also boasts superb terraced cultivation, with low walls built of basalt stone in unique geometric shapes dictated by the rugged topography. Basalt stone was also used to create the network of roads and paths criss-crossing the site. In addition, ingenious irrigation and drainage systems bear witness to the unique know-how that transformed hostile terrain into arable land. Other indigenous treasures include the funcos of the Fogo islands, especially those of Chã das Caldeiras, and the Santiago and Maio islands. These traditional dwellings can be identified by their circular plan, their silhouette of superimposed volcanic stones and their conical thatched roofs. Rather basic and rudimentary - they have only one room - these dwellings are nevertheless proof that mankind can adapt to the most hostile terrain. Throughout the archipelago, you'll also see European-inspired rural houses with their rectangular floor plan and wooden framework supporting a dry-stone structure (usually basalt) and straw roof (usually sugarcane). The houses in the fishing villages are very much influenced by Portuguese culture. The whiteness of their facades, punctuated by the bright colors of their doors and windows, and the simplicity of their volumes (often cubic) are all borrowings from the tradition of Lusitanian villages. These are just some of the architectural features that give Cape Verde its identity!
Contemporary challenges
Independence in 1975 was accompanied by a major rural exodus and an unprecedented growth of major urban centers, without any urban planning. As a result, shanty towns sprang up on the outskirts of the cities, where informal self-buildings and temporary housing proliferated. This is particularly noticeable in Praia, where the shantytowns contrast sharply with the rational urbanization of the official districts inherited from colonization. Cape Verde also faces a major problem when it comes to building materials, most of which are imported. In addition to the high cost, these materials are unsuited to climatic constraints: reinforced concrete and cement do not stand up well to heat, and are very water-hungry, despite the country's shortage of water. Faced with this situation, voices are being raised to promote local materials, in particular volcanic rock (basalt, pozzolan), of which the archipelago has numerous quarries for exploitation and transformation. Challenges for the future that some are taking up today, particularly in terms of hotel and residential infrastructure, which elegantly blends innovation with respect for tradition and the environment. Architect José Adriao has designed an astonishing complex in Praia do Estoril, not far from Sal Rei on Boa Vista, comprising 18 dazzlingly white residences with minimalist volumes organized around inner courtyards, porches and gardens, and bathed in light thanks to beautiful bay windows. Another contemporary gem: Barefoot Luxury on São Vicente. These local stone villas in ochre-brown-red hues are entirely trompe-l'oeil in design, blending seamlessly into the landscape. Organized around a patio, they also feature pivoting kotibe wood panels for protection from wind and sun. On Boa Vista, the stone-and-wood Spinguera Ecolodge is part of the Espingueira rehabilitation project, a former fishing village abandoned in the 60s and entirely rebuilt using local materials. On Santo Antão, Pedracin Village is the symbol of this ecotourism, with its stone and cob houses and roofs covered with banana leaves, coconut fibre and straw. Finally, don't miss the unusual Mansa Music Hub in the bay of Porto Grande. This astonishing creation consists of three floating wooden huts anchored at the end of a pontoon and grouped around a public square. It houses a concert hall, studio and bar. Designed by Nigerian artist Kunlé Adeyemi, and named after Mansa Musa, one of Mali's greatest emperors, this new cultural venue echoes African creative excellence and testifies to Cape Verde's determination to act as a link between Europe and Africa.
