First mural project in Cape Verde is completed

My first mural in Cape Verde is located on the outside wall of the Amilcar Cabral Foundation in the center of Praia, Cape Verde's capital city. As always, I collaborated with locals to come up with images that would appropriately celebrate the country's history and culture. We choose the face and the words of the revolutionary hero of both Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau, Amilcar Cabral, who fought against Portuguese colonization and was assassinated in 1973. The piece also includes images of Cape Verde's animals and plants, a typical street market, and the youth. The artwork includes a variety of techniques in acrylic and spray paint, and utilizes stencils of Cape Verdean traditional patterns that I created especially for this mural. It took 3 weeks to complete.

 "I swear to myself that I have to give all my life, all my energy, all my corage, all my capacity that I can as a man, until the day that I die, to the service of my people in Guine (Bissau) and Cape Verde, to serve the cause of humanity in order to make my contribution as much as possible, so that the life of mankind becomes better. This is my work." -Amilcar Cabral, 1969

Passarinho and albotroz

detail



detail



market scene and Dragoeiro tree

Getting to work!

On my second day in Cape Verde, I got to work on my first mural! The day was January 20th, the anniversary of the assasination of the revolutionary hero Amilcar Cabral, who fought against the Portuguese colonizers in the 60's and 70's to free both Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau. To commemorate this important figure, I painted his portrait on the outside wall of the Amilcar Cabral Foundation in the center of Praia, Cape Verde's capital city. The portrait was the beginning of a mural project that would include imagery of the country's culture, history, and natural environment, images that were chosen with the collaboration of local friends.

Alex helping out on the mural!

me and Alex