Health Education, Cape Verdean Style

If you’re into glitter, drum lines and bare butt cheeks, you would have loved this year’s Carnaval celebration in the city of Mindelo.

I know that I’ve referenced in the past the tendency for Cape Verdeans to do things big and loud or not at all, and Carnaval was another demonstration of this penchant. But, of course, that’s what Carnaval is meant to be, isn’t it. A day of excess and debauchery before repentance, Lent, and Easter.

Since, as a rule, Scott and I try to limit our debauchery, we made the trip to Mindelo to see Tuesday’s Carnaval day parade, but we skipped the weekend’s parades and parties beforehand. Instead of seeing 50-something groups perform their samba parades, we saw only 4. Luckily for us, one of the four was chosen as the winner of the Carnaval event for having the most spectacular performance. Their theme: the human body.

Since the group was associated with the local chapter of the Red Cross, I believe that the performance was meant to be somewhat educational. While I’m not sure what I learned about human health, I do feel certain that I got a lesson in human anatomy.

The way that the dancers in the parade owned their bodies, cellulite and all, was quite refreshing. It’s not something that I’d want to see every day, but once a year I could handle the sight of small army’s worth of women with their butt cheeks hanging out. If nothing else, it could serve as a reminder that we’re all flawed, but beautiful just the same. Of course, there were some cheeks that were decidedly more pleasant to look at than others, but the wide array was what was so inspiring.

Another aspect of the event that I found enjoyable was the way that it brought together communities. For more than a month now, each of the 50-something groups, formed mostly by neighborhood, has been rehearsing each evening. The practice sessions were not rigorously structured trainings, but rather an excuse to get together with neighbors and dance for a couple of hours a day. Two weeks ago when I was in Mindelo for work, I heard the drumming from my hotel room and went to take a peek at one of the rehearsals. The neighborhood soccer park was full of people of all ages, joyfully moving their bodies. I’m a sucker for a good drum line, and couldn’t help bobbing to the beat along with them.

As much as the Carnaval parade is a performance, it’s an endurance competition. By training together each evening, the groups not only learned their repetitive dance moves, but also built up their calves and conditioned their feet to their 4-inch heels. The parade route started near the judges’ grandstand and then looped around the city before returning 4 hours later to pass by the judges once more. By that point, it was easy to see that most participants were exhausted but energized by the idea of reaching the finish line.

Here are some photos from the parade. See if you can learn anything about human health that I missed out on.

A very serious introduction to the study of the human body

Naughty nurses. An integral part of every health lesson


The feathers surround women up on platforms who hang onto little poles for dear life as they dance around town. It's hard work, but they get a pretty good breeze from below to keep them cool.



Young and old alike joined in the merriment.

Here's where I got lost? What does this guy have to do with my body?