The 2014 volcanic eruption in Fogo and the reterritorialization process: from risk to geographic resilience

Abstract

The population of Fogo Island, in Cape Verde, shows a peculiar relationship with the living territory, given that the eminence of volcanic risk is a reality they face every day. The 1951 and 1995 eruptions were particularly scarring in this insular geography, leaving in several generations of Cape Verdeans, the mark of a creation‐destruction‐restart cycle, as well as an attitude of symbiosis with nature. This article is intended to present and discuss results from a scientific research paper based on a study conducted on Fogo Island, in Cape Verde, in February 2016, where researchers sought to understand the local population's response to the last volcanic eruption (from November 2014 to February 2015), in a logic of deterritorialization‐reterritorialization, namely in terms of community and territorial resilience. The analysis method was based on direct observation, with record of the views in a field journal, as well as the biographic narratives of all those who were affected, through questionnaires and interviews.