Cabo Verde – Mãezinha of Rincão: A woman of the sea, a voice for her community

In the quiet fishing village of Rincão, on the western coast of Santiago Island in Cabo Verde, Maria Sábado Horta Fidalgo, known to everyone as Mãezinha, is more than just a fishmonger. She is a boat owner, community leader, advocate for sustainable fishing, and a woman determined to chart her own course through hardship and hope.

At 44, Mãezinha lives in a multigenerational household with her 86-year-old mother, her 8-year-old daughter, and her niece. Her eldest daughter, now 21, has emigrated. Together, they form the anchor of a life built around the sea, a business she inherited not just by circumstance, but by calling.

“My name is Maria Sábado Horta Fidalgo, better known as Mãezinha” she quietly introduced herself,” as she sat on the rooftop of her small house facing the Atlantic Ocean. There, fishmongers, mostly young men and a few middle-aged women were busy divvying up catches brought ashore by fishermen. “I have two daughters… I’m a fishmonger, I have two boats,” she added.