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This place is the Praça Nova (officially Praça Amílcar Cabral), the main square in Mindelo, São Vicente Island, Cape Verde. On this side of the square, near the bandstand, there is the statue of the Marquês and Visconde (Marquis and Viscount) of Sá da Bandeira. [The other side of the square has a statue of Portuguese poet Camões.]
Some people wonder why a statue of a colonial statesman stands here, still displaying Portuguese symbols. One reason is because when Cape Verde became independent (from Portugal, in 1975) they didn't destroy the statues and other symbols of the historic colonial heritage (unlike other African countries). Other reason is because Sá da Bandeira was an important man to Mindelo city and to the African peoples.
Bernardo de Sá Nogueira de Figueiredo (1795—1876), alias Marquês de Sá da Bandeira, was an important Portuguese politician of the XIX century, minister and prime minister during several periods. His great achievement was the abolition of slavery in the Portuguese colonies (including Cape Verde).
Bernardo de Sá is also famous for his participation in the Portuguese Civil War, on the side of the constitutionalist liberals. He lost an arm at the battle of Alto da Bandeira. After the war he was granted the nobiliary titles of baron, viscount and marquis, and thus became better known as Marquês de Sá da Bandeira.
In 1838 Sá da Bandeira changed the name of São Vicente's capital (former Vila Leopoldina) to Mindelo, in remembrance of the Landing of Mindelo and the Braves of Mindelo (in Northern Portugal), a decisive episode on the way to liberal victory in the Portuguese Civil War.
Until 1975 a city in Angola had the name Sá da Bandeira, in tribute to the statesman. After the independence the name was changed to Lubango.
See also other views of this statue in other days: a general view, with the bandstand, other POV, and a close-up detail, including the symbols of Portugal.
Location: * Localização: 16.8896197, -24.9877542.