'More than one way to help a neighborhood': New mural celebrates Cape Verdean history

NEW BEDFORD — Eden Soares has lived as a member of the Cabo Verdean diaspora since his birth in Rotterdam in 1972.

When the artist came to New Bedford at age 6, he said he insisted on forgetting that.

"In first grade I told my parents I wanted to be in a regular class with all the other Americans," he said, and he forgot much of the Portuguese he first spoke as a child.

But the mural at the Cape Verdean Ultra Marine Band Club, unveiled in a ceremony Friday, gave him a chance to explore that history.

"Just the fact of merely painting Amilcar Cabral, that was the first time publicly I got to paint Cabral," Soares said, referring to the Cape Verdean independence leader and founder of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea(-Bissau) and Cape Verde. "I'm still amazed at the opportunity."

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The oldest Cape Verdean social club in the United States unveiled a mural depicting the history of the West African archipelago nation, its people, and their contributions locally.

'Lucky to get some really good artists on it'

Commissioned by the Friends of Cape Verdean Culture Committee, the mural was painted by Soares and Adrian Tio, another New Bedford-based artist.

"We were lucky to get some really good artists on it," Scott Carola, a committee member and spokesman for the New Bedford Police Department, said. "It's a really beautiful mural, couldn't ask for anything better."

For Tio, the opportunity to connect with another artist was the most enjoyable part of the experience.

"It’s a pretty impressive result for two artists who have never worked together before and on such a large scale," he said. "Our partnership was seamless."

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The mural features several figures, moments, places, and items of significance to the history of the West African archipelago nation.

Included are portraits of Cabral, singer Cesária Évora, the flag of the PAIGC — which also served as the nation's flag upon its independence in 1975 after almost a decade of fighting the Portuguese military in Guinea-Bissau.

According to Soares, the mural is supposed to mirror Acushnet Avenue, historically the center of Cape Verdean culture in New Bedford, with Cabral and Évora being placed at the north end of the wall. It then progresses southward, mirroring the north to south axis of the Acushnet community.

"[Cabral] set the whole thing off," Soares said, referring to his role in the independence struggle and in the mural.

Even the building where it is his historical, since the 125-year-old social club is the oldest Cape Verdean club in the United States.

That's exactly why the spot was selected according to Carola.

"It's really a way of instilling a sense of pride in the neighborhood and reminding the community that the band club is really a historic site," he said.

He added that the project was also a reaction to a shooting across the street, during a basketball tournament in Monte Park, in July 2021, which injured one person.

"It really sent a message to community activists and police in that neighborhood that this neighborhood needs special attention," Carola said. "There's more than one way to help a neighborhood, it's not just about arresting troublemakers."

Soares said he is proud of his work on the project, and its reminder of where his roots are.

To illustrate, he pointed to a panel containing an old PAIGC slogan, "unidade, trabalho, progresso (unity, work, progress)."

"That's everything. That's Cape Verdeans," Soares said. "We work hard. We progress."

Contact Kevin G. Andrade at kandrade@s-t.com and follow him on Twitter: @KevinGAndrade. Support local journalism and subscribe to the Standard-Times today!

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Mural in New Bedford celebrates Cape Verdean culture and history