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 Sal 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 Sal is subject to new editions, as it is impossible to tell the entire history of the island in a single symbology.
(Braga, 1772 - 1845) He was the founder of Santa Maria, an inescapable figure in the history of the island of Sal. He was the wealthiest and most powerful man in Cape Verde in the first half of the 19th century and held high offices. Manuel António Martins' story in Cape Verde began by mere chance when, on his way to the Azores, his boat was swept by the currents, ending up on the island of Boa Vista. There he met Maria Ferreira with whom he married and had 16 children. Having visited the island of Sal in 1796, he immediately began to explore the salt pans there. Martins went on to develop other activities such as cattle breeding in S. Vicente, and businesses in Boa Vista, Santo Antão, Santiago and Brava. He died in 1845 and was buried in the Santa Maria Cemetery. His deeds were immortalized in the novel "O Senhor das Ilhas" and "Vozes do Vento", written by his great-great-granddaughter Maria Isabel Barreno, and published in 1994.
Ti Carj was born on the island of São Nicolau, lived on the island of Sal and became a well-known figure among local families. At a time when there was still no piped water, Ti Carj supplied most of the houses on the island with water that he fetched from Poço Verde, Terra Boa, Vila Verde; and later, from the Fountain of the Municipality of Espargos. A skilful man, he could simultaneously carry two barrels, one in each hand, hanging a tool bag on his back with nails and pieces of rubber tires for the maintenance of his barrels. He distributed water to the residents from his arrival on the island until 1985 when the residents had piped water into their homes.for the archipelago. Porto Grande is a bay that holds many incredible stories.
Ti Clau was an excellent fisherman and a reference to tuna fishing from the rocks (on dry land). This tradition is unique to the Palmeira area on Sal Island, and there are no reports of any other place in Cape Verde where tuna is fished from "rocks" in this way. A technique that creates astonishment and difficulty in understanding. Fishing for tuna on dry land is possible with a simple coconut leaf rod and a line half a meter long. The process of tuna fishing occurs employing baiting; the tuna is lured from the high sea little by little until it is at the foot of the "rock" within reach of the rod and a croque (a hook), an instrument without which it would not be possible to pull the tuna out of the water and drag it to dry land. Ti Clau was a master of this technique leaving an important legacy. Recently, Nicolau Mosso would give his name to the fishing grounds of Ti Clau in the Palmeira area, and a bust of his image can be seen there.
Epifânia de Freitas Silva Ramos, "Tututa", as she was affectionately known, was born in Mindelo, a city where she excelled at playing the piano. At the age of 16, she began giving concerts for the general public, especially at weddings, baptisms, and receptions at the Guild. At the age of thirty-two, she gets married at the height of his success in Mindelo, leaving behind a promising career. The artistic activity took a back seat but she kept her passion for music, giving intimate concerts and teaching piano lessons in her new residence in Lomba Branca (Sal) where it became, from the 50s on, the meeting point for musicians, national and foreign entities that passed through Sal. She recorded an LP with compositions that went beyond our borders such as "Grito de dor", "Sentimento", "Mãe Tigre" or "Vida Torturod". She is also known for the melancholy of her lyrics and praised for the "left-hand swing" that set the precedent in the piano interpretation of Cape Verdean popular music. Dona Tututa is the patroness of the Municipal School of Arts on the island of Sal and her name was given to one of the ships of the CV Interilhas.
Born on November 25, 1953, in Pedra de Lume, Sal Island, in a family with musical traditions. At the age of 14, he began singing and debuts on stage for the first time with the theatrical representation of the play " Story of laughter and crying”. He was part of some musical groups in Sal, especially "Uniques and Improvisation". In 1973, invited by his cousin Luís Lobo, he joined the musical group " The Sharks", where he remained as a vocalist until 1995 when the group retired. Aside from " The Sharks", he joined the acoustic musical group " New Dawn", composed of great musicians such as Luís Morais, Manel d'Novas, Chico Serra, Artur Gomes, Vitorino Silva, and Humbertona. His last album, "Incondicional" was released a few days after his death, on October 20, 2004, in the city of Praia, at only 51 years of age.
Oteniel Jorge Monteiro was born in July 1983, in Santa Maria. Dedicated athlete in water sports, world wave master champion and four times world vice-champion. Since his childhood, he revealed his great passion for the sea becoming internationally known as a 360° athlete. Mito started with bodyboarding, surfing, and windsurfing, but ended up establishing himself in kitesurfing. With a bold style of surfing, he encouraged other Cape Verdean athletes to pursue their goals through the sport. The development of kitesurfing on the island triggered water sports tourism, which allowed social inclusion, giving many people the opportunity to get involved in jobs related to tourism. In 2011 he created the school "Mitu & Djo Kitebeach" together with his long-time friend, Djo, offering authentic experiences to Kitesurf lovers with the best wave coaches in the world.
Vila Pedra de Lume was built in 1796 by Manuel António Martins and was divided into two
parts:
- The slave houses at the top of the hill;
- The port, the warehouse and the cable car going down the hill;
The old crater of Pedra de Lume is famous for the salt pans inside. Salt pans had their
"golden times" during the 18th century when salt was exported mainly to Brazil.
Additionally, a tunnel was opened in the wall of the volcano, allowing better access to the
salt pans.
Nowadays Pedra de Lume is one of the main attractions of the island, where you can enjoy the
view from the top of the crater or bathe in the second saltiest water in the world.
Considered a national heritage, it is one of the seven wonders of Cape Verde.
Throughout the 15th to 18th centuries, the seas of Cape Verde were crossed by ships from Portugal, Spain, Holland, France, Denmark, England, and North America, among others. The commercial exchanges and the consequent increase in the volume and number of ships that travelled our waters gained more dynamism with the entrance of the Dutch, English and French East India companies in the commercial circuit at the beginning of the XVII century. Such intensity caused a considerable growth in maritime traffic and a consequent loss of ships of different nationalities, leaving around the island a rich patrimonial legacy. Some of the artefacts recovered from the sea can be visited at the Sal Museum in Santa Maria, as well as at the Archeology Museum in Santiago.
Manuel António Martins built the marinas, installed wind pumps to feed them, and at the same time laid a railroad to take the salt from the salt pans to the shipping point. It is said that this was the first railway laid in the whole Portuguese territory, having started to work in 1837. With the construction of the railway, the export of salt skyrocketed exponentially. The salt industry was one of Cape Verde's riches and all the salt was exported to Brazil. In 1887 the Brazilian government, wanting to protect and favour its salt industry, taxed foreign salt with prohibitive duties, which contributed to the salt islands of Cape Verde falling into deep poverty. Interestingly, the iron wagons, in an early stage, were moved by animal traction or wind power using a cloth sail attached to the vehicle.
According to information published in a Boletim de Ocurrência (BO) of 1897, in 2023 it will be 126 years since the Fiúra Lighthouse was inaugurated on Sal Island. In specific terms, the said information reads: "The Ponta Norte Lighthouse or Fiúra Lighthouse was inaugurated on 10.04.1897, at the northern end of the island.” For many years the Fiúra Lighthouse played a key role in guiding maritime navigation, in the northern part of the island. Today only ruins of the lighthouse and the lighthouse keepers' residence remain, worthy of a visit to the site.
In 1920, the Cape Verde Development Company bought most of the marines of Santa Maria, having acquired an emblematic building located at the foot of the Pontão de Santa Maria. The Company, whose purpose was the exploitation of salt and fishing, did not achieve any interesting results in fishing, despite having three sailboats and making attempts in the seas off Cabo Branco. Soon the sailing boats were sold and the Company concentrated on salt exploitation, until in the years 1927-1928 it associated with a Portuguese firm of general commerce in the Belgian Congo, which was in charge of the commercialization of salt in that country, giving a considerable impulse to the salt activity in Santa Maria. All the railroads were renovated, and the rolling stock and a new loading dock were built employing many families. The emblematic Pontão building was the administrative site of the company.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the island of Sal was going through a serious economic crisis due to the decay of the salt industry. The salvation was the construction of the first Cape Verdean airport on the island, today Amílcar Cabral International Airport. Around 1935, the Italian government sent a study team to Cape Verde in search of a site for the installation of a stopover airfield between Europe and South America. After visits to Boa Vista, Maio and Sal, the choice of establishing the airfield ended up falling on the island of Sal for its better conditions. In 1939, at Chã de Parda, or Campo da Fortuna, a twin-engine Savoia-Machetti landed, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Tonini and piloted by Major Mascatelli. It became a historical event as the first aeroplane to land in Cape Verde's territory.
The hotel industry in Salente began with the opening of the Atlantic Hotel in 1940-41, adjacent to the airport. This tourist infrastructure made a strong contribution to the consolidation of the Cape Verde airport as the country's gateway to and from the country, as it was here that the first crews arriving on the island stayed.
In 1948, the island of Sal, like all of Cape Verde, faced a terrible crisis due to drought and lack of movement in the salt mines, forcing much of the population to live in an extremely difficult situation. On March 9 of the same year, news arrived of the stranding of a Danish ship on the east coast of Santa Maria. As the accident occurred during the night, the news spread quickly early in the morning, because the boat was visible from the village, arousing great anxiety in the population. The boat Damfjord was loaded with various supplies such as coffee, cocoa, chocolate, oil, etc., which contributed to the relief of the people's suffering. The stranding of the Damfjord was one of the most important events for the island of Sal and became part of the collective memory of the people.
The beach hotel industry, however, would only emerge in the sixties of the 20th century, more specifically in 1967, with the Morabeza hostel, later transformed into the Morabeza Hotel by the Belgian couple Vynckier, who chose to live in Cape Verde because of its good climatic reputation. The foundations were thus laid for the beach hotel industry on this island, which since then has grown vertiginously, with profound impacts on the national economy.
The cable car was built between 1921/22, by the German company Adolf Bleichert, with 1,100 meters in length, supported by a dozen or more trestles from the French Alps, with the capacity to transport up to 25 tons of salt per hour. The cable car replaced the salt transport previously done by animals and boosted salt exploitation on the island. Additionally, a tunnel was opened in the wall of the volcano, allowing better access to the salt pans. The main salt import markets from Cape Verde became the French and Belgian colonies in Africa. The company had a small fleet of boats and 2 tug boats, a wharf, offices, warehouses, a sanitary post, stores, lodging and mechanical and carpentry workshops. The Pedra de Lume saltworks were the livelihood of many families, remaining today only ruins of the cable car, of what was once a great engineering work, given the real context of the time of its construction.
(Cape Verde, 1908 - 2001, France) Son of a Cape Verdean mother and French father, Désiré Bonnaffoux was born on October 31, 1908, in Sal-Rei, Boa Vista island. He began primary school in Praia and finished it in São Vicente. In 1923, he accompanied his father to work at Salins du Cap-Vert, on Sal Island. In 1930/31, after a stay in Thiès, Senegal, for his military service, he returned to Salins du Cap-Vert where he became the Director in early 1935. The direction of the saline was not an easy task due to the great economic crisis of the 20/30's, and his whole career was dominated by the constant concern to make the salt pan work and improve. After retiring in 1668, he assiduously frequented the main libraries of Lisbon and Paris researching old documents about the Cape Verde islands. Today, his works, his writings are being published by the Associação Pérolas de Sal having released the book Músicas Populares Antigas de Cabo Verde (Ancient Cape Verde Popular Songs), with 4 more books in preparation for future release.
