Cachopo: the village that tries "every day to get out of the box"

From music festivals to regional products and gastronomy fairs, Cachopo invites hundreds to climb the mountain almost every weekend.

Illustration: Mariana Silva | Sul Informação

Cachopo has lost more than 3000 inhabitants in 50 years, it has not had a school for 16 years, the average age of the population is 60 years old. Cachopo defined itself that way for a long time, but this is a scenario that is changing.

Contrary to what had not happened for a long time, the population of this parish, located deep in the mountainous interior of the municipality of Tavira, has increased again and there are already enough children to reopen the school.

In the latest senses, the data accounted for 471 inhabitants, but, according to Rafael Dias, president of the Parish Council of Cachopo, the latest survey points to 527 people, of 17 nationalities.

Cachopo now shows that he «has not stopped in time» and, essentially, that he tries «every day to get out of the box», making his ethnography and culture more dynamic.

Anyone who visits this parish of 197 square kilometers – where there are three restaurants, six cafés and a bank that opens every 15 days – in a Normal day, you can't imagine that there are events there that take hundreds of people to climb Serra do Caldeirão.

«Almost every weekend, we have cultural activities. We must be one of the few Parish Councils to invest so much in culture, because there is no land that grows without looking at who it was and what it is», says the president, adding that the idea is «to diversify the cultural framework», encouraging all associations "do something".

When Rafael Dias assumed the Presidency of the Board, there were 20 associations, but only two had a professional or semi-professional regime. Now, the objective is for all of them to work on behalf of the parish, «creating routines so that this type of activity is built almost spontaneously», adds the mayor.

 

The President of the Board with a customer – Photo: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação

 

Teresa Cavaco, born in Cachopo and president of the Parish Assembly, is the one who has collaborated with all the cultural activities and affirms to the Sul Informação that, in the last year, many people have visited, both foreigners and Portuguese from the coast, who otherwise would not visit Cachopo.

The Cachopo Music Festival has been «a success», combining cycles of classical music with jazz and traditional Portuguese music.

In Cachopo, the calendar is designed with the aim of «providing experiences for different audiences at certain times», trying to attract all types of tourists to visit the parish», says Teresa Cavaco.

From the cultural tourist to the nature tourist, passing by those who go there on walks or those looking for gastronomy and typical products, in Cachopo there is a desire to welcome everyone, even when the spaces become small for so many people.

Irene Gonçalves, owner of the restaurant “A Charrua”, confesses to our newspaper that, if some time ago she had regretted opening the business, nowadays there are times when it is difficult for her to have hands to receive so many customers.

«Rafael has done a great work of dynamization here and I see that with very good eyes», he says.

 

Irene Gonçalves, owner of the restaurant “A Charrua” – Photo: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação

 

Cachopo was, for many years, a parish lost in time, but, unlike what happened on the coast, the pandemic served almost as a “tourist agent”.

The demand for places in the interior has increased, both for those who come here on a visit, and for those who decide to stay here. For the latter, however, there is a problem: the lack of accommodation.

«We went through 50 years of complete degradation of the estate. At this time, the parish is unable to respond to those who want to return. We have no housing available, nor houses for rent and it is starting to be a problem that creates embarrassment to the reception of the population», says the mayor.

Even so, Rafael Dias stresses that the parish «needs a renovation», even so that there are people to take care of the elderly.

«We have already been called crazy because of this, but we cannot be afraid to receive people who are not from here. We are talking about 190 km² of territory and we reached a limit where our population no longer had the workforce to take care of our elderly people. We need to be aware of this and there are measures that need to be taken », he says.

«There is no land that wants to survive losing its history, but we urgently need people, we need them. Therefore, the first concern was to look for population and then concern ourselves with our ethnography and roots», he continues.

 

Photo: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação

 

According to the mayor, the roots of Cachopo «are always safeguarded even by the work we are developing».

Despite the fact that there are many «outside events» such as those linked to Cachopojazz or Orquestra do Algarve, Rafael Dias mentions that these always have «a logical ethnographic connection to the territory», as they are held in various spaces (indoors and outdoors) in the parish , such as the Church or Fonte Férrea.

Asked whether the population has been receptive to this type of initiative, Rafael Dias guarantees that it is.

«There is openness, of course, the population problem is a dimensional problem. They are used to doing things on a small scale. And right now we are talking about events that reach 1500 people. For Cachopo, it's complicated, but everything has been done and the population is beginning to believe that anything is possible».

This year, Cachopo has already organized dozens of events. The last one took place on the 13th of May and was marked by the closing of the classical music cycle.

«Right now, what we want is for all organizations and associations linked to Cachopo to have joint activities so that it is everyone's work», explains Teresa.

 

Photo: Mariana Carriço | Sul Informação

 

Despite all the work he has been doing with the population since he took over as chairman of the Board, Rafael Dias believes that it is possible to do even more for this locality, but says that, for that, «it is necessary that the Associação Turismo do Algarve open your eyes".

«We have tourist sites that, indeed, are the best kept secret in the Algarve, because nobody knows them and it is necessary to try to offer a diversified and excellent product that is found in the interior. A product that can be consumed in the morning, one thing, and in the afternoon, another», says the mayor, while praising the stills in the area, the restaurants and even the natural landscapes.

«We have a lot to explore and we cannot continue to work only in the sun and beach», he adds, admitting that, in recent times, a path has been taken to counteract this. A path that, in his view, «is far short of what can still be done».

With a cultural program that is already long, Cachopo says goodbye to the classical music cycle and embraces Cachopojazz again, whose first event is scheduled for July 29, at 19 pm, in Fonte Férrea.

«The objective is to continue this work and have more and more people involved», concludes Rafael Dias.

 

Photos: Mariana Sedge | Sul Informação

 

 

 

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