It's that time of the year! About half a dozen Cape Verdean-American independence/summer festivals keep our weekend calendars busy! Throughout the summer, we celebrate our independence, heritage and culture in many fun outdoors festivals from Boston to Florida. Indeed, the City Hall 4 of July CV Independence Celebrations (Boston), the Roger Williams Park Independence Festival (Providence), the soccer tournament and numerous pool parties in Florida, the Brockton festival, the New Bedford Independence parade, the Taunton festival, and the famous Onset Beach festival (Cape Cod) are fun moments of friends, families, and community reunion. Some proud Cape Verdeans take a chance to show off their colorful CV t-shirts and flags during these gatherings. Others show up to for a good katxupa, or as they call it in Onset, mantxupa with salty pork or "rabu pexi" (fish tail) or a delicious "churasku" (BBQ chicken). Nevertheless, most of us check in to listen and dance to the sounds of some good ferro & gaita funana, morna, Kola zouk, reggae, koladera, CV hip-pop and others traditional Cape Verdean music.

So, with this picture in mind, which of the above mentioned festivals do you think is the best of them all? What do you like about it? Which one is the least fun? What would you do to make it better? What do you in general like about the CV summer festivals?

Please, share your CV festivals thoughts with us.

I'd give the number one spot to the Onset Beach festival: well organized; starts on time; great food; all generations of Cape Verdeans; good variety of music (most of them are related to Cape Verdean heritage and culture) that gets you in the mood for independence festivities instead of rap songs whose content don't reflect our culture.

The second spot goes to the Rhode Island CV independence festival. The least fun I think is the one in downtown Boston. To me it has become like a tasteless “katxupa sen sal” (Catchupa without salt). First, the location is very inconvenient. You can't drive in with your family because there's no parking available. It’s very uncomfortable to carry stuff on the train with kids and senior folks. Also, I don't think it's a good idea to have an outdoor festival in 4th of July on a hot concert spot away from trees and water. I personally stop going to that festival for that reason: you burn in the sun and there are no spots with shades or sea or pond breeze to cool you off. Third, that festival is poorly organized: tardy start every year, lots of delays, little fun stuff to do and enjoy, same artists and type of music every year and most of them are hip pop with poor lyrics which doesn’t turn you on to the mood to celebrate the independence day. Most of the celebrations if not all is conducted in English when you have a large massof Cape Verdeans who speak kriolu. Few good artists and no WOW performance! I’d go on and on about the reasons why in my opinion that festival is the least attractive of them all. In fact, most of people who attended it this year said the festival downgraded from “mariadu to pioku” (bad to worst).

Can it still be saved? Yes!!! First, move it to another spot like Moakley Park by Carson Beach in South Boston- it’s by the water, which means more beautiful scenario and cooler temperature, and closer to the CV community in Boston (right after the exit 14 out of I-93). Additionally, it has more chance to attract folks from Brockton, New Bedford, and RI. And in case of South Boston residents get their city counselors and senators fired up to block that possibility, it can be done at the beautiful Franklin Park in Dorchester or Houghton’s Pond in Milton (people can swim there and there is plenty space for parking and outdoor grills for family barbecues). Then, invite fresh minds to the organizing committee like Lino Tavares (that used to put together Txuba di Kultura); he has an extensive experience in planning large events like that. Also, get ride from the same artists that sing every year and invite artists from other States too; and give it some additional flavor by inviting artists from Holland or CV f possible. Aren’t they here all the time? Take advantage of the timing! Finally, remember that it’s supposed to be a Cape Verdean Independence festival / celebrations not a BET awards. There is a right place and time for everything. So, cut down on the hip pop to 1 or 2 artists and add artists that sing koladera, morna, funana, batuku, and ferro gaita; bring in groups that dance mazurka and perform other Cape Verdean traditional dances. And, out of respect for the crowd, please, tell the MC to speak kriolu- suggestions? Valdir Alves did a great job in hosting the festival in Roger Williams Park in Rhode Island last Sunday.

Watch Dog, thanks and appreciate your opinion. Look for a revival in 2009.

- CVC Unido Volunteer