The country where tradition, art and passion are intertwined in handicrafts
Cape Verdean handicrafts are a living expression of the country’s culture and history. From volcanic islands to golden sands, the talented hands of artisans transform simple raw materials into unique works of art full of meaning.
With this in mind, the Cape Verde.com team spoke to artisan Daniel Alvarenga, who is also the president of the Santiago island artisans’ association.
For more than twenty years, Alvarenga has been working as a craftsman, a trade that he says is pure love, since he quit his old job as an events manager at a hotel to pursue this passion that has always existed since childhood.
According to him, there are more than fifty artisans on the island of Santiago alone, and the majority of those who are part of the association are women.
With regard to the demand for this type of work, artisan Daniel Alvarenga says that demand is frequent and happens all year round, both from locals and from foreigners to the “Souvenirs” space on the plateau.
When it comes to products for sale, he says that people are looking for a bit of everything, with tourists almost always looking for something from the land as a souvenir.
Nationals, on the other hand, are the ones who move the most in terms of purchase value, in addition to the many orders they place.
At the same time, Chinese stores are also the ones that buy the most handmade products for resale.
So you can see that yes, the sale of these products is always recurring, and more than that, it’s a fact that the artisans who give meaning and in a certain sense “life” to these works are pure talented artists.
That’s why artisan Daniel Alvarenga sums up handicrafts in three words: art, culture and freedom. And more than that, Alvarenga believes that handicrafts are also a way of participating culturally in the country’s development process.
Handicraft manufacturing
The artistic handicrafts are handmade and follow local tradition and culture. Therefore, this work is very much adapted to the needs and resources that the country has, reflecting above all the Cape Verdean identity.
As for the materials used in these handicrafts, we generally use whelks, banana leaves, clay, ceramics, accessories for making jewelry and some other materials that, instead of going to waste, are put to good use and reused very well.
And from these materials come beautiful artistic crafts such as sewing and weaving, including bags, purses, dresses and hats. They also produce jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, as well as different ceramic products, including pots, vases and sculptures, not forgetting paintings.
All these works deserve to be seen and appreciated more than just heard about, because they are in fact works of art that transcend the simple utilitarian function and rise to the status of cultural and aesthetic expression of a people.
It can therefore be said with certainty that Cape Verdean handicrafts are more than just handmade products. It is an expression of the country’s soul, a cultural legacy that connects the past with the present and the future.
When you buy a piece of Cape Verdean handicraft, you’re sure to take home a little piece of the history and culture of this enchanting country.
