Fotos

Hoje é fim d'one - that's São Vicente's Cape-Verdean Creole for Today's year's end. That's Dia de São Silvestre, St Sylvester's Day or New Year's Eve. It is celebrated in Cape Verde like in most of the world.
This picture could be a São Silvestre nigth somewhere in São Vicente Island. Actually, this painting is a mural on a wall in the middle of the island, on the road between Mindelo city and Baía das Gatas, near Pé de Verde, below the Monte Verde mountain (see workshop for broader view*).
Notice that the mural displays 16 people at passá sabe (enjoying themselves) and out of those 12, there are only 4 women - two of them clearly working and the other two maybe so. In a country with much more women than men, where are the women missing in this picture? Working, of course.
Anyway, after working, also the women will find some time to merrymaking, perhaps singing like The Voice of Cape Verde, Cesária Évora. Here you have one of her songs, in Creole (wrote by Teófilo Chantre), about the Fim d'One. It's called Recordai. (I may translate if you wish).

Hoje é fim d'one
Ô gente nô bem festejá'l
Cu nôs morabéza
Nô bem gozà dêss dia

Sonte di fim d'one
Já p'di qu'ê pa nô honrá'l
Na fórça di tradição
Nô ta perpetuá êss alegria

Recordai, recordai
senhor São Silvestre
Nô bem dá boas festas
Pa tudo gente

Recordai, recordai
senhor São Silvestre
Nô bem dá boas festas
Pa Cabo Verde

Ô qu'sinfonia lá na baía
Ôh irmon c'ma me ta feliz
Ô qu'sintonia num melodia
Cantode na som di mil voz

E ôh que nôte
Tão doce e colorida

The mural was painted by Bitú Alves. The men at left are playing ouril, a West African and Caribbean game known as oware and many other names.
The most played song by the end of the year was composed by Luís Morais; here you have an outstanding version, with several Cape-Verdean singers; there is a mix of Portuguese and Creole in this song: ♫ ♪ Boas Festas ♫ ♪
Happy New Year to everybody.
* Location in WikiMapia: 16.8775156, -24.9414593