Cape Verde - Islands At The Edge Of The World

The archipelago of Cape Verde lies approx 1,000 kilometres south of the Canaries. The islands are very different. Some have wide beaches, high volcanoes and green valleys. Others are flat as a pancake, covered in arid desert. Despite its wealth of natural beauty, the "Republica de Cabo Verde" is a poor country. It lacks rain and natural resources. That people settled here at all is due to the history of slavery. En route between West Africa and Brazil, the Cape Verde islands were the last point of anchorage where the crew could stock up on water and supplies. The Portuguese made the "pearls of the Atlantic" their own and only granted the islands their independence in 1975. The undeniable Portuguese influence is evident to this day. Many Cape Verdeans live from fishing, but tourism is their great hope for the future and rightly so, because the "green Cape" is blessed with sunshine all year round. One group of Cape Verdeans, the Rebelados live a reclusive life in the mountains on the main island; these are deeply religious people, who live without electricity and flowing water. They go barefoot and wear large wooden crosses. They live from the fruits of the earth and isolate themselves from all outsiders. Nonetheless our camera team were permitted to visit the Rebelados and film their everyday life.

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