Cape Verde: Tourism, Drought and the Illusion of Paradise

Endless beaches, majestic mountains and villages with multi-coloured houses: Cape Verde has become one of the hottest new destinations for Instagrammers. Here, tourists can enjoy a week in an all-inclusive resort for as little as €700, including travel. But virtually none of this benefits the islands. Indeed, the lack of opportunities and a severe drought mean that some women have to resort to stealing sand from the sea floor to survive. The islands are on the frontline of global warming. It has hardly rained in the past seven years. While tourists enjoy numerous, huge swimming pools and are unaware of the crisis, families in Cape Verde are restricted to a few 25-litre containers of water per day. All food and supplies for the hotels are imported from wherever they can be sourced cheapest, providing no benefit to the local economy. On many of the islands’ beaches, the sand has completely disappeared; for years, the women of Ribeira da Barca have been stealing sand to sell to the construction industry. These women carry no fewer than 50 kilograms of sand on their heads each trip. Most of them can’t swim, so they are risking their lives every time they enter the sea; for this, they earn approximately a mere €10 a week. This documentary reveals the harsh realities behind Cape Verde’s beauty, exposing the struggles of its people amid environmental crisis and economic inequality. This documentary was produced by Kraken Films and directed by Michelle Fines. It was first released in 2025. ------- Bear witness to monumental moments in human history, and human's most terrible crimes. Java Witness is home to incredible stories of good and evil, from fascinating stories of old, to chilling documents of heinous murders and modern-day mafias and gangs. From dinosaurs to medieval feasts, ancient wars and battles, through Kings and Queens, World Wars and critical world events, watch some of the best history documentary series, world history specials and more, all for FREE! Hit SUBSCRIBE and enable the bell notifications to know first about all new documentaries on the channel! At least 2 FULL documentaries available to watch FREE online every week! Subscribe to our Discover channel for more documentaries:    / javafilms