The New Bedford Whaling Museum is looking to have a permanent presence in Cape Verde.

Museum President James Russell and Museum Trustee Eugene Monteiro left for Cape Verde on Friday.

Russell says they are bringing a traveling exhibit that was on display in San Francisco and San Diego for the past 9 months, that will help them gauge what the local response would be to a more long term exhibit as they look at possible sites.

"We're going to look at three or four different locations and hopefully come back with some recommendations for trustees," says Russell.

The visit is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Cabo Verdean Institute of Cultural Heritage.

Their chairman, Humberto Lima, was the signatory of a memorandum of understanding between the Whaling museum and his Ministry, during the Charles W. Morgan's visit to New Bedford in July of 2014.

An opening ceremony for the exhibit is scheduled to take place on Monday as part of a week long program in Praia, celebrating the contributions of Bridgewater State University President Dana Mohler-Faria, to Cabo Verde.

Russell says they hope to have a ribbon cutting for a permanent exhibit within the next year.

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