Bela Duarte: The Artisan Who Wove Caboverde’s Soul

By Su Duarte

Bela Duarte is a name inseparable from the cultural awakening of Cabo Verde. A master artisan, painter, and activist, she dedicated her life to the revival and preservation of traditional crafts, transforming everyday objects into symbols of identity and resilience. Her work reflects a deep connection to history, community, and the lived experiences of the archipelago’s people.

Bela Duarte was born in São Vicente in 1940. She graduated in Artes Decorativas in Lisbon and also studied in the Curso de Desenho Artístico at the Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes. By 1974, already back in Cabo Verde, she was teaching Desenho at the preparatory cycle, laying the foundations of her pedagogical commitment to art and culture.

In 1976, she became part of the founding core of the Cooperativa Resistência, which later evolved into the Centro Nacional de Artesanato (CNA). There, she taught weaving, tapestry, and batik, while actively organizing materials, documenting techniques, and passing on knowledge rooted in Cabo Verdean heritage. Through these initiatives, Duarte ensured that ancestral artistic practices would endure and evolve with contemporary creativity.

Her artistry gained international recognition, with exhibitions in Austria, Belgium, the United States, France, Italy, and Portugal, highlighting the global relevance of her work. Bela Duarte’s craftsmanship is celebrated for its sensitivity, precision, and symbolism, transforming threads and fabrics into narratives that honor memory, culture, and identity.

In 1992, together with Luísa Queirós, she co-created the gallery Azul + Azul = Verde in Mindelo—a space that allowed local artisans to present their work, bridging tradition and experimentation. Throughout her career, Duarte embodied the principle that craft is both political and memory-laden, a form of cultural sovereignty that foregrounds the role of women in artistic and social life.

Her contributions were formally recognized: she received the Primeira Classe da Medalha do Vulcão in 2010 and the Primeira Classe da Medalha de Mérito da República de Cabo Verde in 2018. Her name was also given to a gallery in the new Centro Nacional de Arte, Artesanato e Design (CNAD), and she is immortalized in the “Passeio das Almas das Ilhas” on Rua de Lisboa, a tribute by the Ministry of Culture to figures who shaped Cabo Verde’s cultural identity.

Upon her passing, the Ministry of Culture and Creative Industries expressed “profound condolences” through Inforpress, describing her as “an unavoidable figure in weaving, who departs but eternally lives in her Art.”

Her legacy continues to inspire generations of artists in Cabo Verde and beyond. Through her hands, the textures of history are made tangible, and the archipelago’s cultural soul continues to flourish in looms, classrooms, and community workshops.

“To craft is to remember, to teach is to preserve, and to create is to honor.”