Art Wall featuring an exhibition by Gilson Do Rosário Silva

Cape Verde: The Future

Cape Verde is gaining increasing international recognition, which offers new opportunities for tourism, investment, and cultural exchange. Tourism is one of the main pillars of Cabo Verde’s economy. But as the country looks to the future, an important question arises: How can tourism grow while simultaneously preserving and strengthening Cabo Verdean cultural identity?

Gilson Do Rosário Silva, a Cape Verdean photographer and artist who lives and works in Rotterdam, uses his photography to spark this conversation. His work captures the people, landscapes, and stories that shape Cape Verdean identity, while also asking how these stories can be given a stronger voice within the country’s cultural landscape.

Can cultural institutions dedicated to preserving and sharing Cape Verdean stories play a central role in this future? Could a Cape Verde Museum of Photography serve as an example of how culture, tourism, and heritage can reinforce one another and develop together?

“Cabo Verde: The Future” is therefore more than just a photography exhibition. It is an invitation to reflect, ask questions, and collaborate. Gilson Do Rosário Silva believes that art can be more than just something on a wall: art has the power to bring people together, foster dialogue, and provide a space for a meaningful exchange of ideas.

The opening of the exhibition at the Nieuwe Luxormarks the public launch of the Photography Museum Initiative – Cabo Verde, featuring a panel discussion on the possibilities for establishing Cabo Verde’s first photography museum.

Rather than presenting a detailed final proposal, the initiative begins with a conversation—a conversation that brings together professionals from the cultural sector, architects, and the Cape Verdean diaspora in Rotterdam.

The photographs serve as the starting point for a conversation about the future.

The exhibition is accessible when you attend a performance at the Nieuwe Luxor.