History & Culture

Discovery and Settlement (1456–1600)

Cape Verde was uninhabited when Portuguese sailors discovered it in 1456 — or rediscovered it, as Arab and West African sailors might have already known the islands. The Portuguese crown quickly recognized their strategic value: The islands were perfectly situated on the trade route between Europe, Africa, and America.

Santiago was settled from 1462 onwards — initially with Portuguese settlers and convicts, soon with abducted people from West Africa. Ribeira Grande (now Cidade Velha) became the hub of the transatlantic slave trade: Here, abducted Africans were "acclimatized," forcibly baptized, and resold — to Brazil, the Caribbean, and the American colonies. The town became prosperous and even received a bishopric in 1533.

Creolization and Colonial Era (1600–1975)

From the forced coexistence of Portuguese and Africans, something new emerged: the Creole culture of Cape Verde. The Portuguese language mixed with West African languages to form Kriolu, African rhythms fused with Portuguese melodies to create Morna, and the cuisine combined European and African elements. The Mestiço population (mixed African-European) soon became the majority.

The colonial era was marked by droughts, famines, and neglect. Portugal invested little in the islands, and regular drought disasters claimed tens of thousands of lives. The worst famines: 1773–1776 (over 40% of the population died), 1830–1833, and 1941–1943 (an estimated 30,000 dead, while Portugal looked on). These traumas drove waves of emigration — primarily to the USA, Portugal, and West Africa. To this day, more Cape Verdeans live in the diaspora than on the islands themselves.

Independence and Democracy (1975–present)

Resistance against Portuguese colonial rule was organized under Amílcar Cabral (1924–1973), one of Africa's most brilliant independence fighters. Cabral, born in Guinea-Bissau and raised in Cape Verde, founded the PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde) and led the liberation war in Guinea-Bissau. He was assassinated in 1973, not living to see independence.

On July 5, 1975, Cape Verde became independent — following the Carnation Revolution in Portugal a year earlier. The first years under the one-party rule of the PAICV were marked by reconstruction and stabilization. In 1991, the first free elections took place — a milestone for all of Africa. Since then, the country has been considered Africa's most stable democracy, with regular peaceful transitions of power, press freedom, and a functioning rule of law.

The Cape Verdean identity is unique: It is Creole — a distinct culture that has emerged from the fusion of African and European elements over five centuries. Cape Verdeans see themselves neither as Africans nor as Europeans, but as something of their own: Cabo-Verdianos.

Kriolu — The Language of the Heart

Portuguese is the official language, but in everyday life, everyone speaks Kriolu (Cape Verdean Creole) — a Creole language based on Portuguese with West African grammatical elements and its own vocabulary. Each island has its own Kriolu dialect: The Kriolu of Santiago sounds more African, that of São Vicente more Portuguese. Kriolu is the language of emotion, music, and daily life — Portuguese is the language of administration and education.

Important words:

• Morabeza — Hospitality, warmth, feeling welcome
• Sodade/Saudade — Longing, melancholy, the sorrow for what is absent (the central feeling of the Cape Verdean soul)
• Nha — My/Mine (address: "Nha amigo" = my friend)
• Tudu dretu — Everything's fine (the universal answer to "How are you?")
• Oi! — Hello!
• Obrigado/Obrigada — Thank you (as in Portuguese, m/f)

Morabeza — Cape Verdean Hospitality

Morabeza is the word that best describes the Cape Verdean soul. It means more than just hospitality — it is a way of life: Openness to strangers, warmth without ulterior motives, the willingness to share the little one has. In a country shaped by droughts, famines, and emigration, Morabeza is the survival strategy: People help each other because they know that tomorrow they might be in the same situation.

As a traveler, you experience Morabeza everywhere: The taxi driver who invites you to dinner. The farmer who gives you mangoes. The musician who dedicates a song to you. The Morabeza of Cape Verde is genuine — and it is the reason why so many visitors keep coming back.

The history of Cape Verde is a history of emigration. Since the 18th century, droughts, famines, and a lack of economic prospects have driven hundreds of thousands of Cape Verdeans abroad. Today, an estimated 700,000 Cape Verdeans live in the diaspora — more than on the islands themselves (600,000). The largest communities are found in the USA (especially New England: Boston, Providence), Portugal (Lisbon), the Netherlands, France, Italy, and West African countries like Senegal and Angola.

This massive diaspora has deeply influenced Cape Verdean culture. The central feeling is Saudade (Kriolu: Sodade) — an inconsolable longing for home, for those left behind, for a past that is irretrievably lost. Saudade is not simple homesickness — it is an existential fundamental feeling that permeates all Cape Verdean art, literature, and music.

Cesária Évora's most famous song is called "Sodade" — and it speaks of exactly this pain: "Who showed you this long way? Who showed you this long way, this way to São Tomé? Sodade, sodade, sodade of this land of my São Nicolau..." The melody is so melancholic and universal that it has become the unofficial anthem of Cape Verde — and the anthem of all people far from home.

For travelers, this means: Ask Cape Verdeans about their family, and you will hear stories that span continents. An uncle in Boston, a cousin in Lisbon, a brother in Dakar. The remittances of the diaspora (Remittances) make up a significant part of the GDP. And when an emigrant returns home after years, it is celebrated as if a dead person has come back to life.