The more I travel to more remote places, the more amazed I become at how people have adapted to living in such diverse environments. Recently I visited the island nation of Cape Verde where people have lived for centuries in barely accessible villages on steep cliffs on islands with no fresh water. The most unique and persistent settlement of Cape Verde must be Chã das Caldeiras on the island of Fogo. All of Fogo Island is essentially just one large volcano and Chã das Caldeiras is located literally inside the crater of this still active volcano. The most recent eruption took place in November 2014, destroying the villages of Portela and Bangaeira almost completely. Despite this destruction and the continuous threat of a new disaster, people have once again returned to the crater and its fertile lands that they depend on for their livelihoods.
Challenges and potentials of life on Pico do Fogo
Cape Verde consists of a group of 10 islands far out in the Atlantic, some 600 kilometers off the coast of mainland Africa. The islands were uninhabited until Portuguese explorers first discovered them in the 15th century and they retain their sense of isolation even today. The youngest of the islands is Fogo which was created 100,000 years ago during a volcanic eruption. The Pico do Fogo volcano is still active today with major eruptions having occurred recently in 1995 and 2014. Yet despite this, people continue to live not just on the island – but actually inside the crater of the volcano, in a community known as Chã das Caldeiras.
The volcano can destroy but it can also give. Tourism has become an important driving force for the local economy in recent years, but agriculture has always been the main source of livelihood in Chã das Caldeiras. The volcanic soil around the rim of the crater is very fertile, while the elevation creates more rainfall and milder temperatures than in the rest of Cape Verde. Various fruits and vegetables are grown in the crater for local consumption and commercial production but Chã das Caldeiras is particularly known for its coffee and wine production.
Wine production in Fogo was started by a French count who settled on the island in the 19th century bringing grape vines with him. Even though Cape Verde is much closer to the equator than other wine-growing regions, the altitude of Fogo makes growing grapes possible. What’s more, volcanic soil is very well suited to growing grapes and the cool night temperatures slow down the ripening of grapes for better results. The wine industry of Chã das Caldeiras is centered around an agricultural cooperative that produces red, white and rosé wines.
One would think that living inside the crater of an active volcano that can erupt anytime would be a source of major stress for the residents. But the reality is that the residents of Chã das Caldeiras have more pressing daily concerns than volcanic eruptions. There is no running water in the crater and rainwater collected during the rainy season is often not sufficient. Poverty is also an issue, and the locals have to be able to afford generators or solar panels to have electricity.
Rebuilding Chã das Caldeiras after an eruption
In November 2014 Pico do Fogo erupted once more after nearly 20 years of peace. The residents Chã das Caldeiras were initially reluctant to evacuate but eventually all 1200 or so residents had to leave their homes. The twin villages of Portela and Bangaeira were essentially completely swallowed by lava. The only road into the crater was also destroyed, as well as some agricultural land.
After the previous eruption in 1995 the government built housing for displaced people in the village of Monte Grande. But the crater is where these people can earn a living and the government housing is too far from Chã das Caldeiras for a daily commute. On top of this, the residents of Chã das Caldeiras feel a strong connection to the land their families have lived on for generations. And so the residents of Chã das Caldeiras returned to the crater after the 1995 eruption and so they have done once again after the 2014 eruption, with determination to rebuild their lives.
Many have built new houses on top of their old roofs that were left exposed by the lava. Others have chosen to build on top of the fresh lava – with some like Casa Marisa II Guest house even taking advantage of the heat for floor heating! As lava stones are plentiful, they are a common building material, although most buildings today seem to use the stones only as decoration and extra insulation, preferring concrete for structural elements.
Rebuilding can also be an opportunity. The destroyed buildings included an award-winning visitor center built out of black masonry blocks that mix cement and volcanic ash. The aim of the project had been to promote sustainable development and tourism in the area, and the building included systems for solar energy, passive ventilation, rain water harvesting and grey water recycling. More projects like this are needed to improve living conditions in Chã das Caldeiras in a sustainable way, and promoting local materials should not be forgotten. Concrete structures may be strong but they are of little help when covered by lava. Relying more on local materials like lava stones would make rebuilding more economic and environmentally conscious while keeping alive the local traditions of co-existing with nature’s forces in a resilient way.
