Cape Verde: The Achievements and Challenges After 46 Years of Independence

By Brunno Braga

July 5th is recognized as Independence Day for Cape Verde. After being colonized by Portugal from 1460 to 1975, the African archipelago has made several strides, but it also has challenges ahead.

Cape Verde is made up of a group of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Given its strategic position— linking Europe, Africa and South America— the islands served as a trading and

supply post, with particular emphasis on the

slave trade. Soon, the archipelago became a center of concentration and dispersion of men, plants and animals.

Eventually, free Europeans and enslaved Africans merged into a single people, Cape Verdean. Creole emerged as the language of the local people, and the mixed ethnicities helped to create a unique culture. Food and music are two

things that gained a special fl avor and show

off the best representation of the country.

The most popular artist from the country

is Cesara Évora, who is said to be the most respected African singer in the world.

Cape Verde Fighting Against Colonialism

After World War II, Africa colonies began to fi ght for their independence. In Cape Verde, this was no diff erent. In 1956, Amílcar Cabral created the

African Party for the Independence of Guinea

and Cape Verde (PAIGC), fi ghting colonialism and starting a march towards independence.

Aware of the fact that fi ghting against colonialism was also a fi ght against white European racism, Cabral once said during one of his speeches:

“The colonists usually say that it was they who brought us into history: today we show that this is not so. They made us leave history, our history, to follow them, right at the back, to follow the progress of their history. In combating racism, we do not make progress if we combat the people themselves. We have to combat the causes of racism. If a bandit comes to my house and I have a gun, I cannot shoot the shadow of the bandit; I Nossa Senhora do Rosário church have to shoot the bandit. Many people lose energy and eff ort, and make sacrifi ces fi ghting shadows. We have to combat the reality of the material that produces the shadow.”

On December 19, 1974, an agreement was

signed between the PAIGC and Portugal, establishing a transitional government in Cape Verde. This same government held the elections for a National Popular Assembly that on July 5, 1975, proclaimed Cape Verde’s independence. The cultural demarcation in relation to Portugal and the dissemination of nationalist ideas led to the archipelago’s independence in July 1975. In 1991, following the country’s fi rst multi-party elections, a parliamentary democracy with all the institutions of a modern democracy was established decades after Cape Verde independence process. Since then, Cape Verde has been a country with social stability and peace, but dealing to overcome social problems that aff ect the majority of the population. The country has experienced some social advancements, one of them being the opening of its fi rst public university in 2008. However, today in Cape Verde, the emigration of its young male population is an issue. “Freely leaving the islands of Cape Verde to go to work and live abroad is seen by Cape Verdeans as an inevitability and also as a hope to “emigrate to survive,” Pedro Gois, a professor at the University of Coimbra told Travel Noire.

For him, the continuous emigration of an important part of its population over the last century is the main singularity of the Cape Verdean people. Brazil, Portugal, USA, and now, some UAE countries are the main destinations.

From the early 2000s onwards, the tourism sector became the most important economic activity. With breathtaking landscapes, beautiful beaches and amazing local cuisine, Cape Verde attracts visitors from Europe and other parts of the world.

Blue Marlin Fishing

Discover one of the most famous blue marlin fi shing spots in the world. The Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic Ocean are located 600 km off the west coast of Senegal in West Africa. Turquoise waters, ideal sea temperatures between 23 and 26 degrees Celcius, and one of the world’s top ten coral reef biodiversity hotspots, all make this archipelago a unique place on earth.

You can reserve a boat from March to December. Cape Verde is a year-round fi shing spot and during the peak season, from March to July, it is not uncommon to have more than fi fteen bites from blues per day! Besides the blue marlin there are yellow fi n tuna, white marlin, sailfi sh, wahoo, dorado,and you can even try your luck with several diff erent shark species.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Cidade Velha (Portuguese for “old city”, also: Santiago de Cabo Verde) is a city in the southern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. Founded in 1462, it is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital. Once called Ribeira Grande, its name was changed to Cidade Velha in the late 18th century. It is the seat of the Ribeira Grande de Santiago municipality.

Located off Africa’s northwest coast, this town was the fi rst European colonial settlement in the tropics. Some of the meticulously planned original design of the site is still intact, including a royal fortress, two churches and a 16th-century town square. Today, Cidade Velha is an Atlantic shipping stop and center for Creole culture. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World in 2009. https://travelnoire.com/cape-verdeindependence-day Image credits: Pinterest, tomscatch.com