CNAD – National Centre for Art, Crafts and Design

Located in the heart of Mindelo, CNAD operates in one of the oldest buildings in the city, initially known as House of Senator Vera Cruz, a space that is also part of the cultural and social history of the life of Mindelo's people. It served as a residence, high school, military headquarters, recreative club, radio station and Museum of Traditional Art before hosting the CNA project – originally Cooperative Resistência (Resistance Cooperative), created in 1976 –, an initiative born from the restlessness of a group of artists and teachers dedicated to experimentation, training, research and promotion of Cape Verdean craftsmanship, with a focus on the practice of 'panaria'. In 2022, the rehabilitation project of this centenary building is concluded and a new cultural facility, unique in the Cape Verdean context, rises over the city. Between tradition and innovation, CNAD consolidates itself as an aggregating, creative and dynamic environment, equipped with permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, a library and research centre, a training centre, areas for the collection and artistic residencies, a shop, a café and a multipurpose patio. An unprecedented milestone for Cape Verde and West Africa, which continue to write the history of their artistic and cultural richness.