Brava once again isolated, in a crescendo of indignation at the lack of maritime connections

This new isolation has reignited the age-old frustration of the Brava population, who repeatedly feel neglected and disconnected from the rest of the country. The frequency with which the island is left without reliable maritime connections has led some to express, in a tone of despair, the feeling that Brava could one day become a "Stone Raft", in an allusion to the work of José Saramago, sailing towards the east coast of the United States in protest at the treatment it has received.

Sara Lopes, a former national MP, expressed her strong disagreement with the situation. "It shouldn't be like this. In a context where the connections between the islands are concessioned to a company, the granting state should determine the priorities. And the priorities should always be the islands with no other mobility alternatives. This is one of the flaws in this concession contract. Not having an airport and being too peripheral to be of interest to the market, and therefore having no other alternatives, should be one of the main priorities of the concession contract," defended the former parliamentarian.

Carlos Burgo, former Minister of Finance, also spoke out on the issue, holding the Cape Verdean government directly responsible for the situation. "It is the Cape Verdean government that is ultimately responsible for connecting Brava to the rest of the country. In a situation like this, where the concessionaire is unable to guarantee the service, it's up to the government - which even has a Transport Minister - to intervene. The fact that the POLAR boat came to Fogo without the authorities doing anything to ensure that it also went to Brava is an unacceptable oversight and deserves our utmost protest," said the former government official.

The indignation was also felt by entrepreneurs in the maritime sector. Andy Andrade, founder of Cabo Verde Fast Ferry, lamented CVI's lack of consideration for passengers stranded on Brava: "The Polaris agency's Interilhas boat made the Praia/Fogo/Praia connection today, but CVI had no consideration for those stranded on the island to charter the same boat on the Fogo/Brava/Fogo connection. The boat is already on its way back to Praia. There are always alternatives when there is interest and respect," criticized the businessman.

The absence of an airport on Brava makes the island particularly dependent on sea connections, and the recurrence of service interruptions has serious implications for the local economy, access to essential services and the daily lives of its inhabitants. The population is clamoring for an urgent solution and greater attention from the competent authorities, in order to ensure that Brava does not remain the "last" of the archipelago's connectivity priorities. The issue of the concession contract and the need for the state to intervene in order to safeguard the interests of the most isolated islands are thus gaining renewed urgency.