Juntos Somos Fortes - Ensemble on est Fortes Tote Bag

Juntos Somos Fortes - Ensemble on est Fortes means Together We're Strong.
My family name Paixão Fortes means Strong Passion. Fortes means Strong in plural both in French and Portuguese. 

The Theme Fanm Fortes was my cultural patchwork uniting the French West Indies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin, Guyane, Réunion and much more) and my country Cabo Verde. Our cultures are so similar, we look the same, we're all creole and come from a mixed lineage. 

But our similarities go beyond just our culture and our looks. We also share a blood connection. The first black guy the Portuguese kidnapped and took to the French West Indies was a 'Portuguese' guy they called João. Which means that 'João' was from one of the former Portuguese colonies and that they also stopped in Cabo Verde which back then was The Island of the Slaves. 

Although it's a horrible part of our history knowing we are literally the same and that we are family filled my heart with joy. Our similarities bring us to common grounds while our differences make us travel. An ocean separates us but our music, culture and family bond unites us beyond any physical borders