Background information

Basic information on Cabo Verde
Friendship Association Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram
Basic information on happiness
Bibliography - Sustainability Tourism



Basic Information on Cabo Verde

supplied by Heinz Wanke, Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram, May 2005

http://capeverde-islands.com/cvlinks.html

www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/capeverd_history.asp

www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/cape_verde

www.wtgonline.com/data/cpv/cpv.asp
  -> CAPE VERDE Overview

www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41593.htm
  -> Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2004

www.afrol.com/Index/countries/capeverdeindex.htm

www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/capev.html
  -> many Links

www.umassd.edu/specialprograms/caboverde/cvchrono.html
  -> Chronological References: Cabo Verde / Cape Verdian American

www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=CV
  -> Languages of Cape Verde Islands

www.virtualcapeverde.net/weblog
  -> Conference 2005: Connecting the Global Caboverdian Nation

virtualcapeverde.net/news2/index.php
  -> Page about Cape Verde

www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/C_Verde.html
  -> University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center / CV Page

www.cvntv.com
  -> Information

www.cv.undp.org
  -> PNUD Cap Vert: actualites

www.footstepsmagazine.com/TGCapeVerde.html
  -> Teacher´s Guide Cape Verde Islands

www.cvsa.neu.edu/capeverde.htm
  -> Heritage Cape Verde and its People

http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/MDG/regions.do
  -> Millenium Development Goals: Sub-Sahara Africa


Guides, maps:

www.reisetraeume.de/kapverden/reisefuehrer/en/bookshop.html
  -> Standard Map of the archipelago and Hiking Maps and Trekking Guides ENGLISH

www.amazon.de

Cape Verde Islands

The BRADT TRAVEL GUIDE: Cape Verde Island, Irvin Aisling;
      Colum Wilson Bradt Travel Guides (Dezember 2001)

www.santo-antao.bela-vista.net/Santo-Antao-e.htm
  -> SANTO-ANTAO: The hiking map with 51 tracks

www.umassd.edu/specialprograms/caboverde/cvgeog.html
  -> Cape Verde Geography, Environment, Ecosystem

www.virtual-capeverde.com
  -> REPUBLIK OF CAPE VERDE with geography and history

AMIL CABRAL the Freedom fighter, 1924-1973:

www.vidaslusofonas.pt/amilcar_cabral_2.htm

http://www.codesria.org/Links/conferences/cabral/portugal.html


Associacão de Amizade /
Friendship Association
Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram

Preface by Peter Simlinger:

Calheta de Sao Miguel is located on Santiago (991 square kilometres), the largest of the ten major Cabo Verde islands. Praia, the capital of the republic, is located on this island too.

According to my German guidebook Cabo Verde - together with the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands - belongs to the island community "Makkaronesien" which means "Inseln der Glueckseligkeit". Glueckseligkeit may be translated into English by Bliss, Blissfulness, Happiness; Felicity; Euphoria. Not a bad connotation.

Deutsch-Wagram is a small town (about 7000 inhabitants), located in the vicinity of Wien/Vienna. Wagram became known as a place of Napoleon victory. Napoleon took revenge over the Austrians who defeated him only a few weeks earlier in 1809 at nearby Aspern.

I guess the "Deutsch" ("German") was added once upon a time to differentiate the place from another "Wagram" which possibly was inhabited by Slawes. I regret not having had the time to do any research on this.

The Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram was founded in 1987. Since then it was busy developing a range of projects in close cooperation with the locals of Calheta.
Their web site: www.8ung.at/calheta/index.htm (sorry, under construction at the date of publishing this information)
and the one of the town: www.deutsch-wagram.gv.at
Regretfully both are German only.

Report of Gerhard Ganster, who assists IIID with the summer academy 2005 (he will represent the Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram in Bozen/Bolcano as a visiting expert by sharing his personal experience with project development at Cabo Verde):

Current projects taking into consideration local needs:

In the last few years increasing attention is being directed to vocational training and further education (schooling) of juveniles as well as to arts and cultural activities. Cooperation with the IIID in this field is therefore most welcome.

In the district of Calheta de Sao Miguel there are two secondary schools (Grade 7 to 12):
Escola Secundaria de Sao Miguel, about 1,700 students
Escola Padre Moniz, about 300 students.

For attending these schools fees have to be paid. Commuting by school taxi is a considerable cost factor (up to CVES 3,000 / Euro 27.- per month) and constitutes an additional financial burden for poor families.

Presently the Friendship Association Calheta - Deutsch Wagram sponsors 9 children, paying for the school fees and transportation as well as for part of the school materials, but since the sponsoring of individuals is problematic, development work will shift to other aspects in the future.

Project proposals:

1. Education

Courses to be offered by schools

Language training for school teachers in English (perhaps also in French). The orientation towards the English speaking world is an inevitable precondition for the ability to make full use of the modern communication means.

Training of sports and music teachers (improvement of theoretical basis).

Courses in informatics for teachers with special emphasis on internet access.

Data processing courses for pupils (male and female).

Networking and providing Internet access in classrooms.

Making use of the Internet, designing home pages / web sites.

Training of school leavers in information design / graphic arts.

Vocational Education

To safeguard the sustainability of the projects in the field of culture/tourism the maintenance and improvement of the existing infrastructure is of paramount importance. Therefore special emphasis is placed on vocational training for
Electricians
Carpenters
Mechanics/locksmiths
Plumbers

In Calheta de Sao Miguel there is a major private carpenter shop and a medium sized mechanics shop which qualify as partners in vocational training. Electricians could be trained at the state-owned "ELEKTRA" (electricity-supply company).

Education in the field of tourism: see tourism package.

Education in the cultural field: see culture package.

2. Tourism

The situation in the district of Calheta Sao Miguel presents itself as follows:

The District consists of 23 settlements made up of scattered abodes in a predominantly mountanous region. The seat of the district administration is in Calheta, a district town with village character. District area is 92 square kilometers with a population of 16,104 (census of 2000).

The population lives mainly from a precarious agriculture which depends on (unpredicable) rain, and fishing (from rowing boats).

One of the biggest problems of the district administration is youth unemployment of about 70%. Another challenge is the schooling of women who need to support a family. By doing this care is taken to prevent family disintegration.

The daily routine of the people in rural areas centers around the constant problem of surviving the next few days. Water, essential for survival, has to be carried from remote water supply places.

Rare individual tourists visiting the district of Calheta de Sao Miguel to hike in the bizarre vulcanic landscape bring only little foreign currency. Tourism is therefore no dependable source of income for the region. Visitors who come to Calheta for the first time are tempted to ask: "What do these people here live from?"

The romantic landscape of the island of Santiago and the district of Sao Miguel, which is characterized by the vestiges of vulcanic activity is very well suited for hiking holidays, and there are numerous possibilities to enjoy untouched nature and to get to know life in Cabo Verde in its original form.

An intensification of "soft/gentle tourism" would greatly benefit the population of this mountain area.

This would, however, presuppose the creation of a basic touristic infra-structure.

Ideas for a first step:

Defining tourist information concepts/compiling such information, e.g. creation of a multi-lingual tourist information leaflet with hiking guide
Points of special attraction/defining attractions/creating attractions.
Infrastructure (Creating of bases for overnight stay and catering to visitors' needs)

The Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram will research, select and translate statistical data (available in Portuguese only).

A list of relevant (English) web sites is made available to the participants of the summer academy.

Vocational education in tourism

Courses for tourism management
Courses for hotel management
Training in classical vocational trades (cook, waiter...)
Training of tour-guides/hiking-guides

3. Culture

In the district of Calheta de Sao Miguel there already exists a cultural association.

In March 2005 the Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch Wagram organized an audio-project. This comprised a 4 day workshop led by an acoustics engineer who instructed 13 young people in the making of wires, and introducing them to microphone, mixing and high-speaker technology as well as recording practice. As a conclusion of the workshop a demo-CD was recorded, which, however, was not meant to be sold to the public.

In order to help create the basis for a music school of the community of Calheta, some music instruments as well as microphones and mixing tables were supplied.

For 2006/2007 the creation of a small sound studio is being envisaged.

Further projects under consideration:

Support for the creation of a music school
Creating a community library
Support for the local cultural association
Creating a theatre group
Creating a cooperation for skilled art and crafts (souvenirs)
Marketing of souvenir art products
Cultural exchange Cape Verde - USA/ Cape Verde - Austria

Education in the cultural field

Courses in cultural management
Training of music teachers
Music instruction
Courses in painting
Revitalization of traditional artisan skills

4. Proposals regarding the Summer Academy

The IIID/AIGA Summer Academy 2005 (11 to 23 July 2005, Free University of Bozen/Bolzano) is to be seen as a first step in a project of long-term cooperation.

As as next step from 2006 onwards the results of the 2005 summer academy could be tested and adapted on site.

10 participants could be accommodated at the CASA AUSTRIA of the Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram.
Seminar rooms would be made available by the Municipio de Sao Miguel.
Assistance to participants could be offered by the Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram.

Details regarding the conducting of the Summer Academy 2005

Gerhard Ganster of the Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram is prepared to assist as lecturer / visiting expert. He is fluent in English and has experience in project development in Cabo Verde. President Joao Gomes Duarte, who had originally been considered to serve as a visiting expert, would need an interpreter.

Gerhard Ganster could attend the academy on several days and has also proposed informal talks (³near the chimney²) for more intensive dealings with the subject matter.

General matters:

The Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram plans to revitalize and reorganize its already existing counterpart in Calheta de Sao Miguel which was founded as a charity (comparable to an NGO). The new founding is scheduled to take place in the first half of 2005.

Information about the already existing Youth Culture Club (aims of the club and its responsible persons) will be available shortly too.

Foundation/Sponsoring Association:

The Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram has come to the conclusion that a foundation according according to Austrian law would not be a suitable institution to handle the administration of the project once its outcomes need to be implemented. Instead it suggests to set up a sponsoring association.

The Board of Trustees of the sponsoring association to be founded should be an international one: Two members each from Austria and Cabo Verde, as well as one further person of another nationality.

As possible Members of the Board of Trustees the Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram would like to consider Padre Nuno (Head of the parish of Sao Miguel) from Cabo Verde and retired City Counselor Wanke (President of the Associacão de Amizade Calheta - Deutsch-Wagram) from Austria.

Translation from German into English (gratuitous): Peter Bartak

Basic information on Happiness

0. (Im)Material Exchange – the programme

Members of the affluent society exchanging material values for immaterial ones; members of the under-privileged society offering immaterial values for cash and kind.
Material values, simply put, can be defined as money – enough to overcome poverty through goal-directed education.
Immaterial values conveyed through meaningful symbols of thankfulness will become manifest in the development of spiritual sense and friendship.

1. Introduction

I was intrigued by what I read on the website of the Worldwatch Institute in early 2004: “State of the World 2004: Richer, Fatter, and Not Much Happier”. Meanwhile I know that ever more psychologists – who until recently were only interested in negative emotions – have embarked to find answers to the question: “What makes people happy- ”. Happiness research was born.
The problem with happiness research: as with much other research, it fails to show how its insights can be transformed into concrete actions which would make people happier. This is where design comes in.
Of all the many findings of happiness research, some are relevant to (Im)Material Exchange.

2. Happiness correlations

Thanks to useful hints from Jay Rutherford, director of the IIID/AIGA Summer Academy, and extended Google search, I am able to sum up briefly:

Happiness correlates

Martin SELIGMAN, University of Pennsylvania, in his book “Authentic Happiness” (2002) offers a reduced definition of what happiness is composed of:

LYUBOMIRSKY adds: “Every day you have to renew your commitment”.

3. What many think would trigger happiness, but doesn’t:

Happiness is only significantly enhanced or even impaired by

4. What reduces happiness significantly:

Happiness is greatly reduced by

5. Conclusions for (Im)Material Exchange:

5.1 To make the disadvantaged happy shouldn’t be much of a problem. The project will

5.2 To make the affluent happy the project will enable them to

5.3 Both parties will profit if the communication to be developed by the participants of the summer academy

6. Source Material

World database of happiness, developed and maintained by Ruut VEENHOVEN, Erasmus University, Rotterdam:

www2.eur.nl/fsw/research/happiness

www.gluecksforschung.de (German only)

www.allianceofhappiness.net (German only)

TIME: February 7, 2005; Mind & Body Happiness / The New Science of Happiness, pp 45–65

Intelligent Life, summer 2004; BOTTON, Alain de: Enough is Enough

DIE ZEIT, 28 April 2005; JOFFE, Josef: Reich aber glücklich

trend 5/2005; DENGG, Ingrid: Mehr Glück als Verstand

Peter Simlinger


Bibliography – Sustainability Tourism

supplied by Silvia Stuppaeck, respect/Institute for Integrative Tourism and Development

Websites and Data Banks

www.world-tourism.org
World Tourism Organisation, based in Madrid

www.unepie.org/tourism
United Nations Environment Programme

www.tourismconcern.org.uk
Tourism Concern, NGO based in the UK

www.ecotourism.org
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), based in Washington DC

www.haroldgoodwin.info
Website of Harold Goodwin, expert of of ethics in tourism and pro-poor-tourism

www.etc-etcetera.com/information/paper2.htm
Introductory article on eco-tourism available online

www.bigvolcano.com.au/ercentre/papers.htm
Ecotourism Paper and Articles (also a link to the Gross International Happiness Project)

 

Literature

Figgis P. (1995): Ecotourism – the good, the bad and the ugly. In, Tranter,D (ed) Proceedings of the Southern Highlands/Illawarra Regional Ecotourism Workshop NSW NPWS & Tourism NSW pp3 – 17.

Godde P.M., Price M.F., Zimmermann F.M. (Ed.) (2000): Tourism and Development
in Mountain Regions. London

Harrison, David (Ed.) (2002): Tourism and the Less Developed World.Issues and
Case Studies. CABI Publishing, Wallingford (www.cabi.org)

Luger K., Inmann, K. (2000): Sustainability in Mountain Tourism. Salzburg

Sharma P., Luger K. (1999): Tourism and Development: Case studies from the
Himalaya. Studienverlag, Salzburg

Sofield, Trevor H.B. (2003): Empowerment for Sustainable Tourism Development, Pergamon

Weaver, David B. (Ed.) (2001): The Encyclopedia of Ecotourism. CABI Publishing, Wallingford


Robert Egger, WebWerker

 

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