It feels so good to be back in Cape Verde, refreshed visa in hand! I spent my first 24 hours back in Cidade Velha (Santiago Island), the original settlement and capitol of Cape Verde. These streets, and the ruins of its old cathedral, were the epicenter of the trans-Atlantic trade of enslaved people, scant hundreds of years ago. I think it’s a real testament to the beautiful spirit of Cape Verdeans that the town is a sunny, colorful, cheerful, and friendly place, not still obviously drenched in the suffering, destruction, and murder that defined its painful past.
