O Sao Joao

After a long communication hiatus, I’ve finally managed to find a location with functioning internet in the city of Porto Novo. The cyber café’s internet connection has been on the fritz for the last month, which has lead to a frustrating feeling of being even more isolated than usual. I’ve missed you guys.

First I’d like to send a shout out to all of the new Peace Corps Cape Verde Volunteers that will be headed this way in the next couple of weeks. I hope that you’re all enjoying time with your friends and families and feeling excited about the upcoming trip. We’re looking forward to meeting you!

That said, Scott and I are just shy of having been in Cape Verde for one year. It’s unbelievable to think that the months have flown by so quickly. Being out of touch with some of our normal cultural and seasonal reminders of the passage of time has almost made it feel like time is standing still.

Here on the island of Santo Antao, one significant signal of the passage of time is the festival of Sao Joao Baptista that is celebrated every year on June 24th. Cape Verdeans like their parties large, and so as to be expected, this year’s festival of Sao Joao was a multi-day affair with several weeks of activities (sport tournaments, races, beauty pageants, expos) that served as pep-rallies to get folks in the mood for the big day.

The most notable of all the Sao Joao customs is the Coladeira dance that accompanies traditional drumming. Last week Scott and I went into Porto Novo to see the coladiera competition and to pretend that we also knew how to cola properly. Please experience a bit of Cape Verdean culture by practicing the following coladeira steps in your living room, cubicle, or public transport system – wherever you happen to be at the moment.

1. Find a partner
2. Stand together
3. Back away from each other
4. Move towards each other
5. Bang your pelvises together (Careful- this is a “Funniest Home Videos” incident waiting to happen)
6. Repeat steps 3-5 until you switch partners or tire out. Don’t bother waiting till the end of the ‘song,’ ‘cause there isn’t one. The drumming continues for hours.

Another Sao Joao tradition is a 20 kilometer procession carrying a statue of Sao Joao from a chapel in Ribeira das Patas to a chapel in Porto Novo. We’re fortunate enough to have a friend, Cecilia, in RdP that hosted us for the night and accompanied us on the hike. We started the walk at 8 am and arrived in the city at about 3 in the afternoon. All along the way there was drumming and dancing. The crowd paused a few times en route to mob families who generously offered free dishes of catxupa. The hot sun made the last third of the trip pretty tiring even considering that we were wearing good shoes and are accustomed to long walks. Some people made the journey along the cobblestone road in high heels or dollar store flip-flops that blew out half way through. Ouch.

Once we made it into the city, there was more coladeira, horse races, music in the streets, concerts, and food stands set-up just for the event.

Among all the revelry, it may not seem that the festival was much of a religious occasion, but many people were as or more enthusiastic to attend the mass in honor of Sao Joao. People frequently pray to the patron saint asking for favors and making promises in return. Many times, the repayment for a conceded favor is making the 20 km trek accompanying Sao Joao’s statue or presenting food offerings to the statue while at the chapel.

Whatever people’s motivation for attending the festival, there is no denying that the event was a big deal. Now, how can I harness this seasonal enthusiasm and turn it into a wide-spread passion for environmental education and income generating activities? ; ) Those plans will have to be put on hold until after next weekend when our tiny community, not to be outdone, hosts its own festival for the local patron saint. This week my local partners are all consumed with preparations.

Party on, Wayne.