For responsible tourism
Water and electricity, rare resources in Cape Verde.
We all realize the value of electricity and water.
This awareness becomes clearer when you are in a country where the latter regularly suffer from supply disruptions. This is the case here, which is why we pay particular attention to energy conservation.
Let us be careful, let us not waste.
Begging in Cape Verde
While many people give money or a gift with good intentions, this is not the case.
Indeed, what is a small gift for us can have great value in the eyes of the population. The consequences of such a gift are diverse. Here are some of them:
- Destruction of the work-money relationship;
- School demobilization;
- Breakdown of hierarchical relationships within the family;
- Increased pressure from begging;
- Loss of authenticity in the Tourist-Population relationship.
The message is clear, do not give anything directly to those who may approach you.
However, if you have goods to donate, you can contact schools, associations, etc. Ask your host for advice.
Photos and movies
You may be faced with different situations.
While some people want to be photographed, others see it as an invasion of their privacy. To avoid any problems, simply ask their permission first.
Let's respect their privacy.
Visible wealth, an incentive to theft
As in any poor country, what may seem to you to be easily accessible is here sometimes a luxury that few have access to.
Our island, although poor, is relatively protected from the phenomenon of theft. We are fortunate to welcome an informed public, who know how to be discreet. It is important to continue in this direction, and to avoid any temptation.
We do not have the luxury of large establishments, but the luxury of the freedom to be able to walk around at any time, in any circumstance. The freedom to go and meet people, to exchange as people, with respect for each other.
Let's preserve this living environment.
Tip: yes? no? how much?
This is a question that our guests ask us very often. It's difficult to answer. Here are some ideas.
Tipping is not mandatory, but it is always welcome.
What are the different scenarios?
- Restaurants: sometimes there is a small cash register for leaving tips, otherwise, you know what to do. Remember that if there are musicians, they are sometimes paid through tips (separate from those for the service).
- Hotel: as with restaurants, there is sometimes a cash register. Some prefer to give directly or leave in the room. For example, at Kasa Tambla, we centralize tips in a cash register to redistribute them to employees at the end of the month. This allows us to share fairly between the teams.
- Guides: it depends on the fun you had, but also on the time spent with the guide.
- Drivers: for colectivos, it is not necessary (you would not leave a tip to a metro driver). On the other hand, if a driver accompanies you on different excursions, or during Taxi services, if the latter has offered you a quality service, do not hesitate to give him something.
The real question that always comes up: how much to give?
It is difficult to give an order of magnitude, it always depends on the pleasure you had and your means.
We often hear, "We don't want it to be excessive." Know that it never is. If you want to give, do it from your heart.
Don't be offended if the person doesn't react, or seems closed off: some people don't know how to react, so they don't react. Their recognition is no less real.
But above all, never feel obliged to tip, if you do it you do it with all your heart.
Waste
Cape Verde is made up of 9 inhabited islands with a population of around 500,000 inhabitants.
These two pieces of information alone show the difficulty of waste treatment.
A treatment plant per island is financially inconceivable.
Centralizing waste on a "garbage island" would result in enormous waste transportation costs and disapproval from the inhabitants of the island concerned.
As a result, each has a space to bury and burn waste. While this is not an optimal solution, remember that few poor countries have a waste collection system like Cape Verde. At least they are centralized.
Some responsible actions are possible:
- If you have polluting waste, such as batteries, keep them! When you return to your country, you can place them in specific bins for treatment.
- Plastic bottles: avoid half-liter bottles. We can fill the bottles with spring water (see further down in the binder).
If you need to throw away your bottles, give them to us: we redistribute them and can send some to a factory that makes tiles from plastic.
- Old shoes, etc.: they can always be used here. People glue them back together, repair them and use them. Don't hesitate to leave them with us.
- If you have any ideas, please let us know so that we can share them with as many people as possible.