Paper short abstract:

The construction and legitimization of heritage and cultural values has been a major development strategy in projects seeking to improve local economies. Through an ethnographic point of view, emphasis will be placed on the power relations that inevitability characterizes these processes.

Paper long abstract:

Trás di Munti is a village located on the Santiago island of Cape Verde with a history of pottery production. In the past, this domestic activity constituted a relevant economic resource and complementary to agriculture, but since the second half of the twentieth century pottery production fell into decline. In 2006, a project to revitalize and re-establish this activity was implemented by a Portuguese artist. The purpose of the project was to promote development and improve the quality of life of the local population through the recognition of pottery as a cultural value, constitutive of the heritage and traditions of the place. However, in the field different perspectives about the cultural and economic significance of pottery emerged, leading to controversy. The aim of this paper is to highlight the ambiguities between the external perspectives of the project and the local meanings and values related to specific social and economic aspects of the place. In particular, I will focus on the multiplicity of discourses and practices related to concepts of culture, heritage and development. Furthermore, I will emphasize that development strategies linked to culture are not impartial and do not always correspond to the expectations and ambitions present on the field.