Cabo Verde has no single authority covering every artistic field and no uniform national art market or access schedule. MCIC develops cultural policy, legislation, structures and public calls, known locally as editais. DGAIC, the Directorate-General responsible for arts and creative industries, runs or supports programmes in areas such as theatre, dance, music and other creative practices. IPC, the Institute for Cultural Heritage, inventories, researches, safeguards, protects and presents movable and immovable heritage, including tangible and intangible heritage. The National Centre for Art, Crafts and Design (CNAD) in Mindelo connects visual art, artesanato and design. It offers permanent and temporary exhibitions, a library and research centre, training, a collection, artistic residencies and a shop. Access can depend on the programme, membership or prior contact. Its published opening hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 19:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and 18:00 to 21:00, and Sunday and public holidays from 17:00 to 21:00. Formal education is available through several institutions. M_EIA, the Instituto Universitário de Arte, Tecnologia e Cultura in Mindelo, offers studies in architecture, design, visual arts, arts education, cultural management and production, and cinema and audiovisual work. Uni-CV offers a four-year Education in Art programme with eight semesters and 240 credits for applicants with 12th-year education; the published fee is approximately 9,000 ECV per month. Its Cultural and Artistic Institutions Project Management programme lasts 18 months over three semesters, carries 135 credits and lists a fee of 6,000 ECV per month. Universidade Lusófona offers an ARES-accredited degree in performing arts with access based on 12th-year education or an equivalent qualification. Admission rules and fees remain institution-specific. Music has a strong community and heritage dimension. Morna combines voice, instrumental music, poetry and dance and was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019. It is transmitted through workshops, radio, performances, festivals and initiatives such as Todo Mundo Canta. Casa da Música and Uni-CV provide courses, workshops, residencies, choral activities and Uni-Talentos, while MCIC structures include the Cesária Évora Academia de Artes. IPC facilities include the Núcleo Museológico Cesária Évora, Casa da Morna Sodade and Casa Museu Eugénio Tavares with its Morna Studies Center. Art may also use the Cape Verdean language, called LCV or Kriolu/Crioulo, especially in music and literature. Literature and publishing have a more fragmented creator and publisher system. IBNCV is a public institution, and Eugénio Tavares is commemorated through the Casa Museu Eugénio Tavares and its Morna Studies Center on Brava. No uniform national access rule for the literary market has been evidenced. Film and audiovisual work have a specific legal framework: Law 99/IX/2020 supports and protects the production, distribution, exhibition and dissemination of national cinema and audiovisual work, while Regulatory Decree 4/2021 establishes financial-support programmes, development measures and work registration. Access therefore depends on the project and its registration rather than on an automatic grant entitlement. Performing-arts projects can apply through DGAIC or MCIC calls and may work with venues such as Auditório Nacional Jorge Barbosa, Palácio da Cultura Ildo Lobo, Centro Cultural do Mindelo and Cesária Évora Academia de Artes. Architecture is linked to tropical construction, traditional building types, urbanism, territorial planning and built-heritage rehabilitation, with M_EIA providing a relevant study pathway. A 2024 national artistic-creation notice covered fine arts and photography, design, performing arts, cinema and audiovisual work, music, publishing and visual arts. Digital art has no separately evidenced national institution or market, so access is mainly fragmented and project-based. IPC museums and cultural facilities operate across Santiago, Sal, São Vicente, Boa Vista and São Nicolau. They support preservation, interpretation, education and public display, but opening hours, reservations, closures, renewals and travel requirements differ by island and institution. These differences affect practical access in an archipelago. Casa Eugénio Tavares publishes Monday-to-Friday hours of 08:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00; weekend visits require prior booking. Museums recorded 45,141 visits in 2025, with foreign visitors accounting for 71% and national visitors for 29%. Public funding is distributed through MCIC and DGAIC notices. The reported programmes supported 84 projects in 2024, 80 in 2023 and 74 in 2022, covering 238 projects over three years and reaching all islands. Each edital sets its own eligibility rules, deadline, documents, budget requirements and selection process. The reviewed material does not establish a universal artistic grant, fixed fee or guaranteed place. Published course fees exist for some programmes, but museum and CNAD tariffs were not confirmed in the reviewed official pages. Inter-island transport and logistics can materially affect budgets and schedules. Law 73/X/2026 establishes the Estatuto do Profissional Criador e Produtor da Arte e Cultura. It provides for registration with the competent body and a professional card, with prerequisites that include registration with INPS, the tax authority and the relevant sector database. The statute includes social-protection measures, fiscal and customs incentives, a micro- and small-enterprise regime, and access to support, training and credit. The law became effective on the day after publication, but its implementation details and application channel should be confirmed through current MCIC information and the Boletim Oficial. Copyright protection follows Decreto-Legislativo 1/2009, amended by Decreto-Legislativo 2/2017. Author rights cover reproduction, public communication, translation and adaptation. Written permissions or contracts should define exploitation of a work, and performers and producers may hold related rights. Collective-management bodies are regulated by Decreto-Regulamentar 16/23, with a special regime for film and audiovisual works. Public funding does not by itself transfer copyright to the funding body; the applicable call and contract must be checked.
Art in Cabo Verde
Art in Cabo Verde has a fragmented but active ecosystem covering visual art, music, literature, film, performing arts, architecture, design, photography, digital work, crafts and heritage. The Ministry of Culture and Creative Industries (MCIC) and its arts directorate shape national programmes, while institutions such as CNAD and IPC handle specific forms of creation, preservation, education and presentation. Access depends on the island, institution, programme, public call, venue and travel connections. Formal study, community transmission, professional registration, public funding and copyright protection follow different pathways.
Tip
Treat Art in Cabo Verde as a network of specialised institutions, community practices and project-based opportunities rather than as one central service. Choose your pathway according to whether you need training, a venue, funding, professional registration, publication, preservation or rights protection. Check island-specific access, current calls, implementation rules and written contracts before committing money or granting exploitation rights.