Saturday, April 22, 2006

"1. Cape Verde Islands: Historical Visits" published

1. Cape Verde Islands: Historical Visits

The accounts I collected are now bundled in a book: Description When I visited Santiago the first time in 2002, I had already read some travel guides and was interested to see all the beautiful places. After I did see many of these places and met many of its people, I became more and more interested in Cape Verde's special history.

The Portuguese discovered the islands in 1460 and they were almost immediately colonized. From then on a particular mixing of people from West-Africa and Europe were the continuous ingredients of Cape Verde's culture.

The Forgotten Islands, as they are sometimes called now, were historically relevant as a part of the stage when West Europe globally expanded. All of the famous discoverers and navigators took a hold on the Cape Verde Islands: in the early period south west Santiago (Ribeira Grande, Praia) was mostly the place to take fresh water and provisions. Later, in the 19th and early 20th century, Porto Grande (Mindelo) of St. Vicente became an important stop, after the English created a large coal depot for their steam ship industry there.

My personal interest is in re-experiencing the historical development of Cape Verde's culture. A fine way for me to do this, is by reading primary accounts, accounts of people who tell directly from their own experiences. I would like to share with you a dozen of these accounts of famous and unknown travelers to the Cape Verde Islands, which stretch out over the period from 1498 to 1855.

Accounts of: Christopher Columbus, Francis Drake, William Dampier, James Cook, Mungo Park, Joseph Corry, James Holman, Frederick Marryat, Charles Darwin, Edward Wilson Landor, Horatio Bridge, Charles W. Thomas. Hard cover Paperback