The story
Mandinga de Sao Vicente Carnival Parades in Mindelo neighborhoods
Believed to have begun around 1940 when Bijagos dancers from Guinea-Bissau performed at Mindelo's Praca Estrela during a stop en route to the Portuguese World Exposition, the mandingas involve men and boys painting themselves in oil and black tar as warrior figures honouring enslaved African ancestors. Rooted in specific Mindelo neighbourhoods including Ilha da Madeira, Ribeirinha and Ribeira Bote, mandinga groups parade every Sunday from four weeks before carnival through the ceremonial carnival burial the following Sunday.
The mandingas are one of the oldest and most distinctive traditions within Sao Vicente's carnival, believed to have begun around 1940 when a ship carrying dancers from the Bijagos islands of Guinea-Bissau, en route to the Portuguese World Exposition, made a stop at Porto Grande harbour in Mindelo and staged a performance at Praca Estrela that left a lasting impression on the city.