Myths and stories are part of a people’s culture, contributing, to a certain extent, to the formation of the identity of that Society. Talking about Fogo without talking about its stories and myths is unthinkable. The island contains an immense wealth of stories kept and told by our grandparents and by wise people but which, over the years, have been getting lost from the collective memory of the People.
This new design of the “NÔS IDENTIDADE” project will portray in an original and creative way the history of all the islands of the archipelago through phrases, drawings and symbologies that will be made available in a package, t-shirt + digital leaflet + ecological bag.
The brand's concept had its origins in "portraying what there is best in Santo Antão" and in this new phase, valuing and preserving Cape Verde's historical legacy.
Note: The t-shirt about Fogo is subject to new editions, as it is impossible to tell the entire history of the island in a single symbology.
The volcano of Fogo, which gives its name to the island, is 2,829 meters high, the highest point in Cape Verde, and remains active, with a caldera 8 km in diameter and opening to the east. The first volcanic eruption on record was in the year 1500 having, to date, gone active four times, these being dated in the years 1951, 1995 and 2014. The "Pico do Vulcão", as it is locally known, is the "ex-libris" of Cape Verde's geodiversity. It is the main cone of an active volcano that constitutes the highest point of the island and the country with 2,890 meters of altitude.”
The Natural Park of Fogo is located in the central area of the island of Fogo and is constituted by the volcano, the crater, the borders and the forest perimeter of Monte Velha. It has an area of 8,468.5 hectares and is located at the confluence of the three municipalities of the island: São Filipe, Santa Catarina and Mosteiros. One of the most important ecosystems of rain-fed agriculture in Cape Verde. The park was created in 2003 in order to reconcile tourism with the protection and conservation of the region's environment.
(Fogo Island, Chã das Caldeiras 1932 - 2016) A descendant of the French Count Armand de Montrond who lived in Fogo during the late 20th century, he was born and lived in Chã das Caldeiras. Djonzinho learned to play the violin as a child and at the age of ten was already entertaining traditional Fogo Island parties to the rhythm of "Talaia Baixo" and "Mazurca". Throughout his life, Djonzinho was accompanied by his violin and is considered an excellent Talaia Baixo player.
It is estimated that there are more than 500 vineyards on the island of Fogo, of which 36 are irrigated and the remaining (464 ha) are non-irrigated. Most of the production comes from the municipalities of Santa Catarina and Mosteiros, and farmers are organized into two cooperatives that are dedicated to the production of wine, using different winemaking procedures. Cape Verde won two gold medals with two of its wines produced on the island of Fogo, in the 26th international extreme wine competition. The demand is currently higher than the quantity of the product that is placed on the national and international markets. The wine from Fogo stands out increasingly as one of the products Made in Cape Verde of reference.
These are the traditional houses of Chã of Caldeiras. Circular-shaped constructions, made of basalt collected directly from the lavas and covered with conical-shaped tick leaves. Today, with their new architecture, they are covered in concrete and used mainly to store tools for farming the land and to shelter people when they go out to the fields.
Built more than a century ago, it is a major tourist attraction in the Municipality of Santa Catarina. It was once a port for unloading goods for the sustenance of the island. Its black and brownish landscape of underwater lava resulting from volcanic activities makes it a fascinating place much sought after by national and non-national tourists. Its beautiful black sandy beach is visited by turtles in the months of June to October for nesting.
When approaching the well-known Alcatraz lighthouse you can see the force of nature in a rough sea that navigators fear but that once served and still serves the important function of maritime signalling. The lighthouse is located on a cliff more than 100 meters high and 746 stairs heading up, it is a challenge for those who want to visit it but certainly will be compensated with the tranquillity of the beating of the waves and a stunning view of the place worthy of being considered one of the 7 wonders of the Municipality of Santa Catarina.
Also known as "Cá Djédji Tongom", it was built by Manuel do Sacramento Monteiro who was the father of the last Governor-General of Cape Verde, Leão Rosado do Sacramento Vicente Barbosa, from 1967 to 1974.
Ubaldo Ferreira dos Santo, as he is known, was built in the 30s of the 20th century by the merchant and owner Manuel Ferreira, who was originally from Forno (south area), and who, among other products, traded purgueira (Jatropha Curcas) and castor seeds, products that were exported to Portugal at the time.
Ana José Rodrigues (Fogo Island, 1866 - 1957) was the most famous and known singer in the history of the island, an exponent of the Kurkutisan, a typical musical genre of Fogo also called Rafodjo or Rodriga (improvised songs in popular dances). Her great ability to improvise, to vary the rhythms of her songs, and her unmatched creative ability, made Ana Procópio a cultural reference of the island, turning her into a legend and a figure always present in the cultural domain of the island. Although the "Kurkutisan" musical genre was sometimes offensive and cursing, Ana favoured "love and joy." She was aware of her beauty and her power of seduction. A woman of many loves, she used her free will proudly. In 1987, a school was opened in the town of Campanas, named after Ana Procópio, in honour of her important role in the local culture.
Also known as "Cá nha Candjana", it was built at the beginning of the second half of the 19th century by João Monteiro de Macedo, father of Abílio de Macedo, one of the most important personalities in the history of Cape Verde in the 20th century. One of the oldest houses in the city of São Filipe.
Located next to the Carlota Joaquina Fort and present-day Praça das Bandeiras (Flags Square), it symbolizes the place where the settlement of São Filipe originated, the oldest settlement in Cape Verde after Ribeira Grande, present-day Cidade Velha. Today, a centennial city, the point was removed during the requalification of this square renamed Praça das Bandeiras. The expansion of the city proceeded from bottom to top from this Point Zero, being a reference to determine the distances between localities, besides being a tourist attraction to be visited.
The current Praça do Presídio was built by the council administrator Luís Silva Rendall. Until 1940, the location was the extension of the military square (presídio), a place that housed the troops. The São Sebastião Fort, as it was called, was built together with the D. Joaquina Carlota Fort in defence against pirates, in 1667 by the Captain-Mor, Christovam de Gouveia Miranda. The Presidio was triangular in shape and paved in stone, with benches and lighting. With an area of one thousand four hundred and seventy square meters, it was expanded in 2006 and the sidewalk was replaced by a cement floor. In the centre are a water fountain (repuxo) and a bust dedicated to Governor Serpa Pinto (1894 - 1897). The fountain was placed in honour of the work of channelling water from Aguadinha (source in the Serra) to the Aguadinha reservoir (City of São Filipe).
(São Lourenço, Fogo Island, 1919 - Oeiras, Portugal, 2006) graduated in Medicine in Lisbon in 1945 and attended the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Porto. Later, he specialized in nutrition and was initially posted as a physician in East Timor. The following year, Teixeira de Sousa settled in his native island of Fogo, where his work in favour of minimal public health structures was remarkable. He later practised in São Vicente, until he retired on the eve of the independence (1975) and settled in Oeiras, where he lived until his last days. In recognition of his undeniable contribution to the country, his bust is present in the 200 Cape Verdean escudos banknote.
Eodolindo Ledo Pontes, (São Filipe, March 1912 - May 2004) popularly known as Minó de Mama. His father, a musician and harmonica player, eventually influenced Minó to become an excellent harmonica player. His mother, known as "Miôda", was a singer and usually accompanied her husband at parties. It was in a party environment that Minó learned to play the harmonica. He would even "steal" the harmonica from his father and play it secretly. After his father's death, Minó, still a boy, accompanied his mother who continued to sing at parties whenever invited. Minó di Mama recorded only one album entitled "Talaia Baxu", in May 1999, through the Publisher Sons d'Africa, with the Music Producer Quim Alves. Author of the most popular music from the island of Fogo - Minó di Mama, came to be his artistic pseudonym. During his artistic career, he performed nationally and internationally, taking with him his contagious music "Talaia Baxu".
In the centre of the island, at the foot of Mount Inhuco, near a small spring called "chupadeiro", there is a 1-meter-high entrance to a large vault and a long underground corridor that plunges more than 250 meters into the heart of the island. From its walls, you can hear the trickle of water that, together with a cold air current, provides a very pleasant climate. A site worth visiting.
(Fogo Island, 1890 - Praia, 1942), a Cape Verdean writer, and elementary school teacher, he stood out in journalism by defending the social, political and economic interests of Cape Verde. He published a series of sonnets and redondillas, directed the newspaper Manduco, and collaborated on the newspaper Voz de Cabo Verde where he published about 33 chronicles of civic and political intervention. In the field of politics and journalism, Pedro Cardoso assumed himself as an ardent defender of the black continent and of the dignity of the African people, using in his literary works the pseudonym "Afro".
In the first centuries of the settlement of the island of Fogo, the inhabitants of the small town that at the time was called Sam Filipe, lived in fear because of the frequent attacks of pirates that took everything in their path: slaves, animals, gold from the churches, fine clothing and food. On one occasion, after midnight, the pirates landed at Praia do Ladrão (Creole for "Pa'ladrom"), north of the village. They stocked up on water from the local spring, stole cotton and animals from Pombal's estate, and then made their way towards the village of São Filipe to plunder the church and the wealthier houses. Close enough to their destination, with dawn breaking, a young shepherd was getting ready to milk his animals. It was then that he heard the sound of pirates marching towards the village and, filled with fear, he ran up a hill and did the only thing within his power to warn of the attack. He shouted: PIRATES! It was a scream so loud, so powerful and so prolonged that it woke up the whole village and its surroundings. Awake, the people took up their weapons and courageously faced the pirates, who, frightened by the shout they had heard, ran away, leaving everything behind. Celebrating the victory, the people asked who had shouted like that. Nobody knew. The scream seemed to have come from the north side, past Trinity Creek. They walked in that direction, climbed the hill and found the young shepherd lying on the ground, surrounded by his goats: the cry had been so loud and so desperate that his throat and heart could not resist, killing the saviour of the island. But the people did not forget the brave and noble gesture of the shepherd who saved their lives, and since then the hill has been known by all inhabitants of Fogo as Monte Grito (Scream Hill).
(France, Lyon 1836 - Cape Verde, Fogo 1900) from an aristocratic family in the Lyon area, a privileged and cultured man, he attended the third year of medicine. His arrival in Fogo was surrounded by mystery. For some, he was a refugee after participating in the 1848 revolution, and for others, to escape French justice. Before Cape Verde, Montrond passed through Lisbon, then boarded a ship bound for South America, South Africa, or another destination. The ship of the English line stopped at Porto Grande in São Vicente to refuel with water and coal. It must have stayed on this island, then went to the island of Fogo, but it is not clear for what reason. Armand Montrond bought land in the central mountainous part of the island, where he cultivated coffee, oranges, and vines (he developed winemaking) and introduced the congo bean. He excelled in the water supply system in the Ribeira Ilhéu area and with his training, but without equipment and medicines, he cured many illnesses due to his good knowledge of medicinal plants.
It is a song of challenge, verbal contention and wit, in which two singers insult each other in a jocular way, using biting and obscene language, sometimes with offensive and cursing intent. It was used to satirize the great landowners or even society in general, caricaturing immoral aspects of people or social unruliness.
In the old days, coffee picking was an activity that moved the Municipality of Mosteiros, resembling a party. It was common to see people trading freshly picked coffee for basic necessities. When the coffee harvest was over, there was a party with drums and flags. It was also the time when some producers gave gifts to the coffee pickers. The coffee produced near the volcano on the island of Fogo is an emblematic product of Cape Verde. It is 100% biological and is cultivated using artisanal methods without any machine or chemical intervention.
Talaia Baxu is a musical rhythm that originated in the mid-19th century on the volcanic slopes of the island of Fogo, whose lyrics, in their origin, represented the lamentations, the misfortunes and the damages resulting from volcanic eruptions. Lyrics considered equally sarcastic, the popular singers of the festivities of the flag of the island of Fogo, portray the experiences of the people in more modern compositions, although they continue to portray essentially the experiences of the island of Fogo. On February 1, the National Day of Talaia Baxu is celebrated in Cape Verde.
