Spectacular visit to Cape Verde for Naismith Trophy

PRAIA (Cape Verde) – After qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time, the African nation of Cape Verde became a stop on the Trophy Tour presented by J9.

The Naismith Trophy arrived on the island nation and was photographed in front of famous sites like the Statue of Cesaria Evora, the Cape Verdean singer-songwriter who received a Grammy Award in 2004 for her album Voz d’Amor.

Nicknamed the “Barefoot Diva” for performing without shoes, the “Queen of Morna” came to international prominence in the 1990s. She passed away in 2011.

Naismith Trophy at the Statue of Cesaria Evora

Cape Verde Basketball Federation President Mario Correia, national team coach Emanuel Trovoada and team captain Fidel Mendonca were with the Naismith Trophy as it was taken to various locations.

A scenic spot for trophy to be photographed was at Mindelo Bay in front of Monte Cara, a mountain on the western part of the island of São Vicente that has an elevation of 490m. Because it resembles a human face looking at the sky, it has the nickname Monte Cara, which translates to “face mountain”.

Monte Cara is a mountain on the western part of the island of São Vicente

In the Bay of Mindelo is a cultural and creative, triangular platform known as the Mansa Floating Hub, which is where a snap of the Naismith Trophy was also taken.

The Mansa Floating Hub in Mindelo Bay

Another iconic location in Cape Verde is the Farol de Dona Maria Pia, which was built in 1881 and named after the Portuguese queen. It’s tough to beat the scenic views of the coastline that one gets from this lighthouse.

Farol de Dona Maria Pia

The Royal Fortress of San Felipe, which dates back to the middle of the 16th century, was constructed to defend the main Peruvian port and the city of Limi from pirates and corsairs during colonial times.

The Royal Fortress of San Felipe

A photograph of the Naismith Trophy was also taken before the Amilcar Cabral Memorial (below). Cabral was a Bissau-Guinean and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, political organizer and diplomat. A pan-Africanist and intellectual nationalist revolutionary poet, he was murdered 50 years ago.

Correira, Trovoada and Mendonca were also with the trophy when it was photographed at the Ribeira Bote basketball court, where 150 people showed up to see international basketball’s biggest prize.

Ribeira Bote court in Mindelo, São Vicente

All three prominent basketball figures were also with the trophy when it was displayed at the National Assembly and at the 3 x 3 event in Largo Amilcar Cabral, where there were 250 participants.

Correia and Mendonca with the Naismith Trophy at the National Assembly

Cape Verde President José Maria Pereira Neves also greeted Correira, Trovoada and Mendonca and had a photograph taken with the Naismith Trophy, as did Cape Verde Prime Minister José Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva at a separate location.

Cape Verde President José Maria Pereira (center) with the Naismith Trophy