Best Street Art spots on Cabo Verde

Street portrait of a whale

Cabo Verde’s islands are full of colourful street art and murals. In this blog post I will share my favourite art I found visiting the four islands Santiago, São Vicente, Santo Antão and Sal.

You will generally find a huge variety of street art on the different islands which perfectly matches the already colourful houses. I couldn’t find an explanation for why there is so much urban and street art everywhere in Cabo Verde. Maybe one of the reasons is that art and culture in general have a massive significance in Cabo Verde.

I collected some of my favourite artwork on my trip through Cabo Verde, visiting Sal, São Vicente, Santiago, and Santo Antão.

Street Art on Sal
Turtles and tradition behind the market

If you follow the road to the Mercado Municipal of the more tourist city Santa Maria you can find all kinds of murals and art decorating the walls and streets. One shows a Cabo Verdian family and another one the importance of music in Cabo Verde. On the mural, you can see a painting of people dancing Funaná an African dance style based on accordion music that was invented at the beginning of the 20th century on Santiago, the main island of Cabo Verde. I am not completely sure who the singer is though but I thought it could be Lucibela – because she started her career singing in hotels of Santa Maria.

My favourite mural

My favourite mural is in the capital of the city: Espargos. You can find this mural of different Cabo Verdian women in the Rua Morro Curral. It was created by the artist Adi Neves who also created another well-known mural of Cabo Verde you can find on the main road between the airport and Espargos.

Street Art on São Vicente
Cape Verdians most famous singer Cesária Évora

São Vicente’s capital Mindelo is especially famous for one particular mural in the centre of the city. It shows the world-known singer Cesária Évora (1941-2011). She was actually born in Mindelo and brought the Cabo Verdian music of Morna and Coladeira to the world’s attention. You will find a lot of pictures of her everywhere in Cabo Verde and this is by far not the only street art portrait of her but probably the biggest and for sure the most famous one. You can find it on the square Praça Dom Luís on the external wall of the Municipal Library of Mindelo.

The mural was created by the Portuguese artist Vhils. The portrait is so special because the artist did not use any paint to create it but actually carved the picture into the wall. Vhils used the same method to create a portrait of Amilar Cabral (1924-1973) who fought for the independence of Cabo Verde. You can find the portrait on the Escola Secundária Achada Grande Frente in Praia (Santiago). And this is the perfect transition to switch to the next island: Santiago.

Street Art on Santiago

The capital Praia offers a lot of colourful street art you can find especially in the two districts called Achada Grande Frente and Terra Branca. But also, on the plateau in the city’s heart is more to discover.

Daily life in Praia

Achada Grande Frente is located east of the city centre, between the harbour of Praia to the South and the international airport to the North. In this district, you can find all kinds of different murals of famous personalities representing the culture of the country but also art focusing on daily life in Cabo Verde. Here you can also find the portrait of Amilar Cabral of the artist Vhils (Escola Secundária Achada Grande Frente). 

The mural below for example shows different daily occupations and tasks of people and animals living in Cabo Verde like fishing, field work, playing music, cooking and washing clothes.   

Under the sea

The district of Terra Branca is located in the west of the city centre. It offers a lot of colourful murals along the square Praça da Terra Branca. Most of them belong to eighter the sea world or to the artist life in Cabo Verde. Rua D’Arte next to it offers a gallery called Galeria de Arte Tutu Sousa (Gallery of the art from the artist Tutu Sousa) but also a lot of art around.

Street Art on Santo Antão

Honestly, I did not see too much street art on the island. You can find most of the street art hidden between houses and landscapes in the bigger city of Ribeira Grande.

You have read the blog post Best Street Art murals on Cabo Verde on My Travel Journal-Blog.

Free admission to Berlin’s best museums

four museums from Berlin

Berlin has more than 175 museums. I tell you which one you should visit and provide you will all the information on how you can enter them for free

Berlin offers more than 175 museums and therefore has more museums than rainy days (around 106 days) per year. A day in a museum is perfect if you love to explore and learn new things, or also if you are looking for a nice activity inside hiding from the bad weather. Plus there are many museums for free in Berlin so it can also save you some money if you are travelling on a budget.

Museums Sunday for free admissions

Every first Sunday of the month, Berlin invites everyone for free to over 60 (state) museums, for example, all four of the famous museum’s island. Here you can find the bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti in Neues Museum (in English “New Museum”) and the Great Altar of Pergamon in the same called Pergamon Museum.

Bode Museum

For most museums, you will need to book a free time slot. You can get it earliest one week beforehand on the official homepage. You should be fast, especially for the famous museums since the time slots are really fast booked out. The best is to already book your ticket directly at midnight the Sunday before. You can book up to two tickets per person (if you want to go with more people make sure someone else books tickets as well) for several museums. A few museums can also be visited without a time slot. Museums Sunday started in the summer of 2021 with the idea of getting even more people interested in the diverse cultural offerings of Berlin.

Museums that are always free

Inside the Bundestag

If you just missed the Museums Sunday – do not worry, there are more than 60 museums and memorials which are always free of charge. Spoiler: Three of them are also on the list of my favourite museums – so this is an absolute pro tip! You can find a list of all museums here (the page is only available in German).

Inside the dome of the German Bundestag
Inside the dome of the Reichstag Building

One other place which can be visited for free is the German parliament. You can book different tours to get more information on how German politics work but also visit the roof terrace and dome of the Reichstag Building. You should book your time slot for the visit beforehand here.

My favourite museums in Berlin:

Jüdisches Museum
Hall of Fame

The Jüdisches Museum Berlin (Jewish Museum) tells stories and the history of Jews in Germany – from the past till today. You will learn more about Jewish people in general, but also as a religion and a culture. During your visit you will get to know famous Jewish people in the Hall of Fame – Did you know that Amy Winehouse was Jewish? Yeah, me neither. The Jewish Museum opens up the history of Jews in Germany as a part of the country. It speaks about traditions as much as pop culture. Also, the Holocaust is just one of many chapters the museum will guide you through.

An interactive exhibition to take part in
Anne Frank and Peggy Gugenheim

The Jewish Museum is one of my favourite museums because it really understands to make its exhibition vibrant and interactive. I wrote my name in Hebrew, put my wish on the welcome tree, transformed myself into a painting, listened to pop music, and embossed a coin of Anne Frank for my pocket. Pro tip: Bring a 5 Cent coin to the museum to press your own.

Advanced architecture

The whole architecture of the building is stunning and the partition of it is really thought through. Two of the most memorable places are the Holocaust-Tower and the installation Shalekhet by Menashe Kadishman.

The Holocaust-Tower is a cold and isolated building. In general, it is dark inside, there is only a splinter of daylight coming through the narrow slit of the tower but especially in winter also the coldness. This experience leaves you with an oppressive feeling, especially in combination with the name of the tower.

The screaming faces

The installation Shalekhet which means translated fallen leaves can be found in the Memory Void. More than 10,000 faces are covering the ground. The masks are made of round iron plates and formed into screaming faces. They are dedicated to all victims of war so they won’t get forgotten.
At first, I was a bit shocked when people just started walking on the faces. But then someone from the museum’s staff explained to us that the idea is to walk over the masks because of the rough ground you have to look down at the screaming faces to not lose your balance and fall. In addition, there is the sound of scratching when you walk over the iron plates. The ulterior motive of the artist is that the visitors therefore will not forget the experience.

Prices and how to get there
💰 The permanent exhibitions as well as the ANOHA museum for children have free admission. Only the changing exhibition can cost an extra entrance fee of 8 EUR (8.50 US$) or reduced 3 EUR (3.20 US$), depending on the exhibition. Some of the changing exhibitions are free as well. The best is you check the official page before visiting the museum. The Jewish Museum is also taking part in the Museums Sunday.

📍 Lindenstr. 9–14 in 10969 Berlin

🚌 You can take the U1, U3 or U6 to the station Hallesches Tor or the U6 to Kochstraße. There is also bus 248 going directly to the bus stop Jüdisches Museum.

Find more information about the museum on its official homepage.

Topographie des Terrors
The entrance of the indoor exhibition

The museum Topographie des Terrors deals with the German institutions of terror that organised the Holocaust. The ground itself was used by even these institutions: The former Secret State Police Office (Gestapo), the leadership of the SS, their Security Service (SD) and from 1939 the Reich Security Main Office.

More than 17 million people, more than 6 million of them Jews, were murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War between 1933-1945. The focus of the museum is taken on the crimes which were committed across Europe by the central institutions of the SS and police in the Third Reich. The museum is located in Kreuzberg and has an exhibition indoors as well as open air. But you will also find a long piece of the former Berlin wall along the museum.

Free audio guide and tours

The museum is mainly a lot of white boards with background information, quotes and historical photos but also old documents. You can get a free audio guide or use your own smartphone to guide you through the museum. I would highly recommend listening to the audio guide. It is available in 17 languages and takes approximately one hour. You can also take part in a guided tour which will be also free of charge.

Why you should visit the museum:

I think this museum should be on your bucket list if you visit Berlin because it is so important to never forget what happened not too many years ago here in Europe and especially in Germany. It shows us where racism can lead us. It also reminds us how important it is to not forget about the people who were killed during the war. Especially now, that the last contemporary witnesses and holocaust survivors die, it is important to not forget about the crimes against humanity they were put through.    

More information
The current special exhibition of February 23

Besides the permanent exhibition, there is also another room with a special exhibit.

If you want to know more about the Nationalism and Holocaust, you can also visit Sachsenhausen, a former concentration camp in Oranienburg. Nowadays it is a memorial and museum and is free of charge.

Prices and how to get there
💰 Admission to the museum is free.

📍 Niederkirchnerstraße 8 in 10963 Berlin

🚌 You can take the U2 or S1, S2, S25, S26 to the station Potsdamer Platz or U6 to Kochstraße or the S1, S2, S25, S26 to Anhalter Bahnhof.

Find more information about the museum on its official homepage.

Urban Nation
The current exhibition in 2023

The Urban Nation Museum for urban contemporary art was founded in September 2017 in Berlin-Schöneberg. Not only the exhibitions but also the housing facades are changing approximately every two years. Therefore there is actually no permanent exhibition. The museum enables a deeper look into urban art, its history, artists, and techniques. The focus is usually taken on up-to-date political and cultural topics. So does the current exhibit Talking & other banana skins which brings together artists from all over the world to get in dialogue with each other. What I love most about the museum is its creative way of bringing contemporary art and modern topics together.

Murals all over Berlin
Mural by Deih XLF

The Urban Nation initiative supports the exchange with the neighbourhood of Berlin – not only in its own museum walls but also with the project One Wall. The idea is to bring five artists to Berlin every year to repaint old house walls and create a colourful Berlin.

Prices and how to get there
💰 Admission to the museum is free.

📍 Bülowstrasse 7 in 10783 Berlin

🚌 You can take the U1, U2, U3 or U4 to the station Nollendorfplatz.

Find more information about the museum on its official homepage.

Berlin Global
The first room of Berlin Global

The exhibition Berlin Global of the Stadtmuseums Berlin (City Museum Berlin) is one of several in Humboldt Forum. It shows Berlin from many different perspectives in the matter of history from wars to the fall of the wall or in terms of culture and music. The glamorous golden Twenties and reunification of the country are just as much a part of the city’s history as the Holocaust and the colonialization. The exhibit offers a lot of different topics which results in the fact that some subjects can be only touched on superficially – But what I think is way more important, it gives you a lot of thought-provoking impulses and the drive to learn more about it. Berlin Global also shows you how many topics are connected and influence each other – for better or for worse.

Take your own part

The exhibition is colourful, varied and gives its visitors the opportunity to interactively shape their visit themselves. In the beginning, you will receive a bracelet that allows you to take part in surveys, which often raises a dilemma: Are borders here to protect you or do they exclude you? Are you ready for change or do you prefer to protect what you already have?
In the end, you can have your decision evaluated to get your personal result. Tradition, freedom, security or equality – which is your greatest asset? Mine were freedom and equality.

Funerals and disco fever
Burial of affordable rents

One of my personal highlights is the installation Begräbnis bezahlbarer Mieten (Burial of affordable rents) by the artists’ collective Rocco and His Brothers. The rent grave was built on a street corner in Berlin-Kreuzberg in 2016 and laments the rising rents in the district becoming unaffordable for the people living there. The topic became even more up-to-date with the increasing rents in recent years.
My other highlight is half huge walk-in disco ball. Mirrors, lights and disco music of different musical areas and genres make you (or at least me) dance and just enjoy Berlin. Overall I loved being so active in the exhibition and exploring the seven theme rooms with completely different stories and focal points. 

Prices and how to get there
💰 The exhibition costs a 7 EUR (7.40 US$) entrance fee but is free for students and pupils. You can also visit it for free on the Museums Sunday.

📍 at Humboldt Forum, Schlossplatz in 10178 Berlin, first floor

🚌 You can take the U5 to the station Museumsinsel.

Find more information about the museum on its official homepage.

You have read the blog post Free admission to Berlin’s best museums on My Travel Journal-Blog.

Urban Art in Berlin

Art is on the street – at least in Berlin. Nowadays, Berlin is one of the hotspots for Urban Art in Europe and is used by people from all over the world as a canvas.

The graffiti scene started in the underground of New York in the 70ties and came within a few months from America in the capitals of Europe. In West-Berlin, street art was mostly used by groups which were excluded from the society back then. But already at the end of the 70ties, the interest in urban art increased. Artists explored new techniques and styles. They used the street to leave their messages – very often political motivated – and took part in recreating their city. Especially the Berlin Wall was used as a screen. Urban art also established in East-Berlin however the artists were more limited here since their art had to conform with the Socialistic Realism of the GDR (German Democratic Republic).

Urban Art is the main term which combines street art, graffiti and general art in a public space.

Schöneberg
Urban Nation Museum

The Urban Nation Museum (Bülowstraße 7) for urban contemporary art was founded in September 2017 in Berlin-Schöneberg (free admission). Not only the exhibitions but also the housing facades are changing approximately once a year. The museum enables a deeper look into urban art, its history, artists, and techniques. The Urban Nation initiative supports the exchange with the neighbourhood of Berlin – not only in its own museum walls but also with the project One Wall. The idea is to bring five artists to Berlin every year to repaint old house walls and create a colourful Berlin – a lot of the following murals were also painted by this project.

Bülowstraße

No wonder that the Bülowstraße around the U-Bahn stations Nollendorfplatz and Bülowstraße is full of urban art because this is where the Urban Nation initiative has its offices. The building right on the opposite side of the museum (Bülowstraße 101, corner Bülowstraße/Zietenstraße) was designed by the Berlin-based Ecuadorian artist Roberto Rivadeneira in October 2020. As part of the One Wall Project, he created a metaphor for colliding time periods and named it Because the moment simply is. But also the buildings next to it are covered with street art in different sizes and forms (Bülowstraße 94-98).


Next to the museum, on the same street side (Bülowstraße 11, 12) the works of the two Spanish artists Deih XLF (first photo below, left) and David de la Mano (first photo below, right) decorate the houses. The latter was painted afresh over another work of David de la Mano which was damaged through work on the houses. The artist prefers to draw silhouettes, trees and other monochromatic symbolisms. This also confirms itself in the new artwork. It is named Gray Habit and shows a black and white silhouette of a woman.
Altogether eight murals are at the facades of the houses (Bülowstraße 32) next to the U-Bahn station Bülowstraße. The paintings are from different artists as D*Face, and Word to Mother from England, the US-American collective Cyrcle, as well as Shepard Fairey, and the group Berlin Kidz. The newest is an additional painting of a naked woman with a red glove and a paper bag over her head from 2019. Portraying persons with the just mentioned paper bags in a critical context is a trademark of the German artist Christian Böhmer. His mural Speak Up. Stand Up. draws attention to the violence against prostitutes on the street of Bülowstraße.

Mitte
Haus Schwarzenberg

Concealed in the backyard of the Haus Schwarzenberg (Rosenthaler Straße 39, next to the Hackesche Höfe) does a dream come true for urban art lovers. Here are all kind of colourful murals, paintings, graffiti, collages, and stickers. A closer look is recommended because there are so many messages, drawings and little details hidden. Some of the paintings are changing with time. Besides the art, there are a studio, a cinema, two bars, the museum of Otto Weidt’s Workshop for the Blind, and a permanent exhibition about Anne Frank.

U-Bahn station Heinrich-Heine-Straße

Next to the subway exit of Heinrich-Heine-Straße is the entrance to the rock club Sage. The door itself is hidden through paintings. Sage shares its rooms with the KitKatClub, Berlin’s most famous fetish club. Right on the opposite of the entrance of KitKatClub is the mural Unter der Hand (freely translated: secretly) by the German artist CASE.

Just around 700 m further in the direction of U-Bahn station Moritzplatz (Heinrich-Heine-Straße 36) is another mural called Face Time by the artists Various & Gould right in front of a parking slot. The painting is a combination of the techniques of serigraphy and collages.

U-Bahn station Birkenstraße

The boy with the injured elephant is from the German street art duo Herakut and the two Swiss artists Wes21 and Onur. The mural carries the message As long as you are standing, give a hand to those who have fallen – and was created through the first edition of the Berlin Mural Festival. It is located next to the subway station Birkenstraße (Stromstraße 36).

Friedrichshain
RAW-Friedrichshain and East Side Gallery

A must-see on every sightseeing tour through Berlin is the East Side Gallery (Mühlenstraße 3-100) between the S-Bahn station of Warschauer Straße and Ostbahnhof. The historical monument is the longest (well) preserved segment of the Berlin Wall. In spring 1990, after the fall of the wall, 118 artists from 21 countries painted and decorated the east side of the wall. Most pieces show the Political changes around 1989 and 1990.

The RAW-Friedrichshain – or RAW-Gelände (Revaler Straße 99, next to the S-Bahn station Warschauer Straße) – is one of the most popular places for night owls in Berlin. Besides plenty of smaller clubs and bars around the corner, it is also a perfect spot for street art lovers. The walls exhibit all kind of art pieces. The RAW-Friedrichshain are former rail train halls which are used for an alternative culture project nowadays. It is also the home of the Urban Spree, a small art gallery with changing exhibitions (free admission) but also a location for concerts and festivals.

Holzmarkt25

Holzmarkt25 (Holzmarktstraße 25, close to the S-Bahn station Ostbahnhof) creates its own village somewhere between the districts Mitte, Friedrichshain, and Kreuzberg. Besides a music school, a kindergarten, and different creative-working companies, it has its own bars, restaurants, and saloon for events. But more importantly, it offers nice spots to chill at the Spree, get a beer from the very own brewery – with the club Kater Blau next to it. The houses and walls of the alternative quarter are full of paintings and art.

Volkspark Friedrichshain (park)

Attack of the 50 Foot Socialite (Am Friedrichshain 33, diagonally across from the Fairy Tale Fountain of the park) is a mural by the US-artist Tristan Eaton. It is influenced by the iconic film poster of the US-movie of the same title from 1958. The painting was also part of the One Wall Project.

Kreuzberg
U-Bahn station Gleisdreieck

Aufstand der Farben (freely translated: Riot of the colours) was a project of Interbrigades e.V. in July 2009. The mural (Luckenwalder Straße 11) covers 600 square metres. It was created by the Latinamerican street artists Shamaniko, Hechiza, Somos and UKI as well as four Berlin artists. It took four months to finish the painting.

U-Bahn station Hallesches Tor and Tommy-Weisbecker-Haus

Next to the exit of the U-Bahn station Hallesches Tor (Mehringplatz 28/29) are the murals Make Art Not War by the US-American Shephard Fairey and Hoodie Birds by the Danish-artist Don John. Both paintings are part of the One Wall Project in 2014. Just a few steps further are two other murals (corner Franz-Kühls-Straße/Friedrichstraße) by Aryz (third photo) and the Spanish street art duo PichiAvo (second row, first photo) which were created during the Urban Art Week in 2019. A lot more paintings are hidden around the corner: There is a housing complex (Wilhelmstraße 2-6) covered in portraits of people with different ethnic backgrounds.

My favourite mural shows an elephant with a balloon in form of the earth by the Berliner artist Jadore Tong. It is on the backside of the Tommy-Weisbecker-Haus (Wilhelmstraße 7) in the background of a basketball court and right in front of the Theodor-Wolff-Park. The house is a self-governing residential collective named after the left-wing extremist Thomas Weisbecker. But also a view around the house is worthwhile since all four walls are covered with art.

U-Bahn station Kottbusser Tor

The Astronaut/Cosmonaut (Oranienstraße 195) is part of the project Backjumps – The Live Issue von 2007. The mural was created with help of stencils by the Portuguese artist Victor Ash. The motif was inspired by the Cold War when the USA and the Soviet Union not only started their arms race but also tried to outplay themselves on space technology. The divided city Berlin was part of this conflict between East and West. This is why Ash wanted to place his painting close to the former borderline. The lettering around is not part of the original but was added later by other influencers. The mural is close to the U-Bahn station Kottbusser Tor. On the way, you can also find the older lady with the pelican and coffee in her hand (Skalitzer Straße 134) – This mural is right next to a coffee shop.

Prenzlauer Berg
Schwedter Straße

The street Schwedter Straße in the district Prenzlauer Berg was repeatedly one of the locations for the One Wall Project. In 2017 the Spanish street artist Deih XLF started with his science-fiction mural (Schwedter Straße 34) where he reflects his introspective of emotions and draws his inner life. One year later the Berlin artist trio Innerfields created another house facade (Schwedter Straße 30) – a cynical observation on digitization and social development. The newest painting links the well-known cartoon character Snoopy with realistic optical illusions (Schwedter Straße 29). The English artist Fanakapan combines two- with three dimensions – a closer look reveals the artist with his smartphone taking a photo as a reflection in the 3D balloon. A little further is the international filling station FIT (Schwedter Straße 261). Not only the petrol station is sprayed but also its walls around. In the pretty side road with buntings is a book store with paintings of a child riding a giraffe and an elephant (Choriner Straße 49).

Other districts
Tegel

The street Neheimer Straße in Tegel is the home of four skyscrapers with eight murals on both sides of the houses. They were painted in different years during the One Wall Project. Some of them are already overpainted by new urban artists – these eight murals are the current ones.
The first one Summer of Peace (Bernauer Straße 133/Neheimer Straße 2) was created in 2015 by the Australian FINTAN MAGEE and is inspired by the children’s book A Child’s Garden by Michael Foreman. Around one month later the US-American twin brothers How and Nosm realised their painting On Tiptoes (Neheimer Straße 6) at the Artpark in Tegel.
One year after, in 2016 followed the mural The Starling (Neheimer Straße 6) by the Dutch duo Collin van der Sluijs and Super A. The paintings of the two artists seem often dreamy and surreal. Their chosen motif symbolizes the strength of a collective. Another mural created in 2016 is Lads are back (Neheimer Straße 8) by the English duo The London Police who use bold colours and simply iconic characters to create positive art. Playing Cards (Neheimer Straße 2) painted by the Italien Pixel Pancho followed a few months later. Typical for the artist is his work with earthy colours and robot-like figures.


In 2019 the female Swiss duo Queenkong worked in collaboration with the Polish artist Tankpetrol. Their mural 2268miles & Lunchadora Pachamama (Neheimer Straße 4) combines the work Pilot Girl (on the left side) by Tankpetrol with the naturalistic style of the Swiss duo. The latter points out the importance of the mindfulness for nature.
The newest two projects of the Open Wall at Artpark Tegel followed in 2020. The Berlin painter, illustrator, musician and concept artist Jim Avignon created his mural (Neheimer Straße 8) about an adventure in a balloon and the future between uncertainty and departure. The latest mural from BustArt plays with the style of graffiti-pop and comic. Departure (Neheimer Straße 4) is the name of his painting and is a reference to the former airport in Tegel.

Neukölln

This painting was more of a chance find: On the front side of a parking slot (Donaustraße 94-95) of a supermarket is a huge mural with the theme Brave New World.

Charlottenburg

Covered in paintings is the front side of a hostel (Stuttgarter Platz 17) in the district Charlottenburg. The house facade was created by the Irish artist Dom Browne.

One of the oldest murals is the one of the ship Phoenix (Wintersteinstraße 20) from 1989 by the Berliner artist Gert Neuhaus – it is in surprisingly good condition especially in the consideration of urban art as ephemeral one.