Cape Verde Cultural Insight

The intermingling of African and European (especially, but not only Portuguese) cultures on the islands has led to the evolution of distinctive customs. At the everyday more mundane level, one can see the historical interaction of European and African cultures at the many vibrant markets on the islands. Another aspect of this interaction is the slaving history of the island, which can be heard today in the form of folk music called Morna (from the English "to mourn"), which is derived from European, Latin American and African rhythms. The combination of European music with African and even Brazilian rhythms produces other sounds, such as the Coladeira and the Funana; and groups like the Cesaria Evora are well known internationally.

For an explosion of sound and colour, make sure you are present at a carnival – each island celebrates its own. Praia and Mindelo come alive with their weeklong carnivals around February – with the latter having acquired a reputation as one of the liveliest street parties in Africa.

There is a strong tradition of literature in Cape Verde due to the early introduction of education by the Portuguese on the islands. The influential journal Claridade in its early days created the recurring theme that was to preoccupy Cape Verdean writers till very recently – the quest for a national self-identity and liberation. The above accent gave way to a more general engagement with issues of race and migration in the new journal Raizes that became the deserving successor of the grand dame of Cape Verdean literature and journalism, the Claridade. Cape Verde continues to produce a prolific amount of work in Portuguese and Kriolu, quite out of proportion with its tiny size.

Handicrafts produced in Cape Verde include souvenirs made from seashells or coconut shells, apart from tapestries depicting religious scenes, especially from St. Vincente’s life.