Cape Verde

Capturing Life’s Purpose: Volunteering in Cape Verde and the Evolution of My Photography Journey

It was during my time volunteering in Cape Verde that photography became a natural extension of myself as I observed and experienced the world around me.

Cape Verde is a volcanic archipelago and island country in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten islands, located in West Africa near the Senegal coast. Although Portuguese is the official language, locals primarily speak Criollo. The economy is dependent on fishing, agriculture and tourism, and most of the population lives a simple daily life in the face of difficult conditions such as the lack of hospitals, sanitation, isolation and low rainfall.

I was able to bring with me a Canon Sure Shot A-1 Panorama Waterproof Camera, “simple” to use (In and Outside water). A gift from my grandfather (Photographer), since I was beginning to assist him in several projects, and was spending lots of time practising Bodyboard. It was comfortable to use, I did not had to strain much around the exposure-values, apertures… or to get worried if it got wet… I only had to find out the framework through its “fair” wide-angle fixed lens and use it, mostly, without looking from the viewfinder.

It was a slow process, expensive, but I took time and effort and tried to control this framework against autofocus and focus-distance, aperture and exposed-time (I was using a lot of Kodak T-MAX bw film since I was able to develop them in my house). The results were amazingly cool! Most of the time, I was able do the unusual “Holy Grace Maria’s” (take a photograph with hands up in the air without looking) and the so self-group-portraits which today are called “selfies”.

I learned how to merge with communities, deal with my frustrations and build endurance. My photography was just something I was able to practice and do occasionally since it was not possible to get neutral or get away from the volunteer project objectives. Nevertheless, I was able to become more enlightened and assure about myself. It really made me feel restlessness… I wanted to do more.

Each year I was arriving from each experience craving for life experiences and reasons to get out of my comfortable zone, probably to erase the hollow sensation that was preventing to make any big decision about my future. And it seemed the right decision to go on this voluntary campaign for almost four years, hopping I could grow as a person and achieve what everyone else had: a purpose.

Gallery (KODACK TMAX – ILFORD – FUJIFILM)