Casimiro Lopes visits Brava amid pain and renews commitment to home island
Nova Sintra City, July 27, 2025 (Bravanews) - Due to an unforeseen and painful fate, Casimiro Lopes, a native of the island of Brava who has lived in São Vicente for years, was forced to return to his homeland to accompany the body of his cousin Adianela, who died suddenly in Santo Antão. The visit, marked by the sadness of family loss, also became a day of reflection and a reunion with the social and economic reality of the island that saw him born.
Despite the mourning, Casimiro took advantage of his stay on Brava to explore the valleys, mountains, villages and forgotten corners of the island. With an attentive mind and an open heart, he tried to listen to the voice of the land and its people. He spoke to local authorities, shopkeepers, fishermen, farmers, saleswomen and young people, gathering testimonies that portray an island full of potential, but increasingly mired in structural challenges and progressive abandonment.
"Brava is falling behind," Casimiro told this newspaper. "Every conversation I've had has been like a punch in the stomach. I see fewer young people, fewer opportunities, more closed houses and more resigned and shameful faces. But I also see courage and resistance, I see people who still believe," Lopes said on his social media page.
During his days on the island, Casimiro made a point of visiting schools, markets and various localities. He asked difficult questions and heard honest answers. Among the meetings was a conversation with a fisherman and fishmonger who, despite the difficulties, continues to go out to sea every day with renewed hope. He also listened to the sellers at the municipal market, who complain of low demand and abandonment by the authorities, but who, with dignity, continue to keep the local economy alive.
The visit to his hometown ended with a trip to various localities, where Casimiro met up with family members and former colleagues. Despite the grief that brought him to Brava, he returned to São Vicente with a sense of duty done and a restless soul. The sadness of Adianela's death was mixed with the anguish of seeing his home island increasingly forgotten. Even so, he made a commitment to himself: to work harder for Brava, whether through social projects, supporting local initiatives or mobilizing Brava emigrants.
"The island depends on its children. We can't expect the state to do everything. Change starts with each one of us. Brava has a future, but that future requires courage, unity and concrete action," he said.
