Myths and stories are part of a people’s culture, contributing, to a certain extent, to the formation of the identity of that Society. Talking about S. Antão without talking about its stories and myths is unthinkable. The island contains an immense wealth of stories kept and told by our grandparents and by wise people but which, over the years, have been getting lost from the collective memory of the People.
This new design of the “NÔS IDENTIDADE” project will portray in an original and creative way the history of all the islands of the archipelago through phrases, drawings and symbologies that will be made available in a package, t-shirt + digital leaflet + ecological bag.
The brand's concept had its origins in "portraying what there is best in Santo Antão" and in this new phase, valuing and preserving Cape Verde's historical legacy.
Note: The t-shirt about Santo Antão is subject to new editions, as it is impossible to tell the entire history of the island in a single symbology.
Large vessel responsible for the transport of goods, having sunk in 1919 on the reef of “Vila Maria Pia”, currently known as Cidade da Ponta do Sol. According to newspaper reports at the time, the steamer “Maria Roussos” came from Montevideo and had Gibraltar as its destination. The vessel was carrying 6,000 tons of corn. This tragic event, however, ended up benefiting the inhabitants of Santo Antão and Mindelo, alleviating the hunger felt at the time in the country.
The Agostinho Neto Aerodrome is located on the island of Santo Antão, on the edge of the city of Ponta do Sol, measuring 598mx30m. The name of the airfield honours the former President of Angola who, in the early 60s of the 20th century, lived for some time in Ponta do Sol. It performed the important mission of air connection in between the islands of Cape Verde, where the De Havilland Canada DH-6 Twin Otter aircraft operated, christened by the people of “Djô Canela” (for having rigid, non-retractable landing gear). The airfield is currently deactivated.
The Spanish edition of National Geographic magazine elected the small village of Fontainhas, on the island of Santo Antão, as the second place with the best view in the world, in a list that includes the 10 most breathtaking landscapes on the planet.
Hydraulic structure built in 1956 in Santo Antão in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. The aqueduct was built in stone masonry and mortar, rising in a hollow arch with a perfect back which, in turn, is topped with frames also in the form of a Roman arch. It houses a Levada at the top that takes the water from one side to the other for agricultural irrigation in the vicinity of Boca de Ambas Ribeiras and Boca de Coruja.
Roberto Duarte Silva (Ribeira Grande, Santo Antão Island, 1837 — Paris, 1889) was a notable Cape Verdean chemist, having distinguished himself in the field of Organic Chemistry. He lived in Lisbon, Macau, Hong Kong and finally Paris. The house where he was born, in Ribeira Grande (now in ruins), has a plaque alluding to this fact as well as the Primary School of Ribeira Grande. In Portugal, in the city of Lisbon, there is a street named after him..
The largest and best terrestrial communication engineering work ever carried out in Cape Verde, given the real context at the time of its construction (1958). A route of stunning beauty for those who visit it and that keeps incredible stories over the years of its people of fibre and courage who gave their lives to build it with pickaxes, hoes and explosives, in the name of the island's progress.
It is the oldest club in Santo Antão. It is a sport, recreational and cultural association founded in 1924 in the city of Ribeira Grande, made official on April 26th, 1930. It is on the way to its 100 years of history filled with victories, overcoming and resilience over time.
Synagogue typical Jewish name, a place at the time chosen for the worship of Jews residing on the island. It was probably a small village just a few meters away from the sea. In 1947, after the construction of the Lepers Retreat Center, the area was named Gafaria. The small houses that existed there were transferred to the Ribeira de Joaquim area. The space is currently in ruins.
Born Manuel de Novas (Penha de França, Santo Antão Island, 1938 - Mindelo, 2009) was one of the best known Cape Verdean poets and composers. Considered one of the most important minstrels of Cape Verde, favourite composer of Diva Cesária Évora, Ildo Lobo, Bana, among others. He was critical of society and wrote his compositions in Cape Verdean Creole.
Cova is a very fertile volcanic crater due to the infiltration of rainwater that feeds the
freshwater springs that there exist. From the rock that separates Cova from the interior of
the valley, it was possible to build a side road in the shape of a helix. This path was once
very important in the Paul - Porto Novo connection, as it contributed a lot to the dynamism
of the local economy. Along the way, there were many adventures experienced by the
travellers who transported the goods. Many were afraid to make the journey alone because of
the ghosts that infested the path in the form of “cachorronas¹,
capotonas² and
masons”.
¹ A magical being, in the shape of a big dog, that drags a
leash and wanders in
the
night.
² A magical being that wears a big hood and follows people at
night.
Paul was the biggest coffee producer in Santo Antão, namely in the areas of Fajã de Janela, Cabo de Ribeira and Santa Isabel. In the past, production was plentiful and the harvest was done by women who sang to liven up their day. After it was well dried, the bark was removed using pestles and then sold.
The history of this trapiche is shrouded in a great mystery, as it is difficult to understand
how at the time it was placed in Mr Ildo Benrós backyard, in a single night, as it is an
extremely heavy machine. It is assumed that the trapiche is about four hundred years old and
was smuggled there to avoid paying taxes. At the time it was believed to be the word of
Freemasonry, of “supernatural forces” that had placed it there, where it remains until
today.
³ Mill made of wooden rollers used to extract juice from fruit
and
sugar cane as well.
The “Fontes Pereira de Melo” lighthouse, also known as Ox lighthouse, was built in 1886, by the order of King D.Luís I of Portugal. It is an octagonal white tower in plastered masonry, with a lantern and gallery is 16 meters high. Annexed there is a ground floor building formerly used by the lighthouse keepers. In its proximity is the islet of the Ox that boosted its construction, hence the same name.
Located on the site of Penedo de Janela, it has on it inscriptions that result from human hands. There are doubts if they are runic characters, Berbers or left by the first Portuguese navigators. Some say they are also characters from an ancient Chinese language left by Chinese navigators 35 years before the arrival of the Portuguese.
Aforetime, financial, health and hygiene conditions were poor, so newborns were vulnerable to any infectious disease that manifested itself in the span of about seven days. With that, some children ended up dying, thus emerging the myth of having been victims of an act of witchcraft. Hence the seventh-day “head guard” party, where chanting rituals such as the “ná ô minino ná” and herbal baths were performed as a way to scare the witches away.
Saint John the Baptist is one of the most popular festivals of pilgrimage in Cape Verde and on the islands of Santo Antão that takes place in the city of Porto Novo with the pilgrimage to the town of Ribeira das Patas where the sacred and the profane mix. The sound of drums, whistles and voices invites us to dance (kola son jon) which is an expressive and performative practice that joins the religious component of the party.
A theatrical group with a strong presence in the country and international community, was founded on March 25th, 1984 with the aim of safeguarding the culture of Santo Antão’s island, in particular, and in Cape Verde, in general. Seven audiovisual works and over 40 pieces in 38 years of history, portray the traditions and socio-cultural experiences of Santo Antão.
The manufacture of grog was prohibited in Cape Verde in the ‘40s and ‘50s. In Santo Antão, agriculture is predominant, especially the production of sugar cane. Despite being prohibited, large producers produced it in secret and then transported it to other islands illegally, running serious risks of sanctions by the existing regime at the time. This phenomenon happened a little all over the island.
On november 25th, 1947, the ship John S. Schmeltzer sank in Praia Formosa, Porto Novo. The boat was heading from Argentina to Sweden (Gothenburg) loaded with corn and semolina. This tragic and unexpected event contributed, however, to reduce the mortality that was being felt at the time on the island because of the 1947 famine, causing authentic pilgrimages from all corners of the island towards Praia Formosa to escape the famine that was raging all over the Archipelago at the time.
From the night of the 27th to the 28th of September 1941, one of the biggest naval battles of the Second World War took place on the seas of Cape Verde. That night, a British submarine (the “Clyde”, commanded by Lieutenant D.C. Ingram) faced, alone, 3 German submarines in the bay of Tarrafal de Monte Trigo, in Santo Antão: the U-67, the U-68 and the U-111, commanded by G.M. Stockheim, K.F. Merten and W.K. Kleinschmidt, respectively. The oldest people of Tarrafal still remember the booming of torpedoes exploding in the usually calm waters of the bay! None of the submarines was sunk in that battle; only U-67 suffered some damage.
Crown top (Topo de Coroa), with an altitude of 1979 meters, is the highest point on the island of Santo Antão. It has a volcanic origin and is located 20 km west of Porto Novo and less than 4 km east of Monte Trigo. Topo de Coroa is a young cone that developed inside a crater. On its west facade, it shows steeply sloped and a vast plateau on the sound and east facades.
The northernmost one on the island of Santo Antão, built in colonial times when Cape Verde was considered a strategic and reference point for maritime orientation. The route to the USA was traced from the Ponta Mangrade lighthouse and it also served as a warning for the dangers of existing reefs in the area. Little is known about the year of its construction, but those who visit the place feel a great mystery around them with countless stories that have been getting lost over the years.
