The eve of this year's Independence Day was marked by a special poem written by Cabo Verdean President Jose Maria Pereira Neves and published on his official social media.
Written in Cabo Verdean Creole, a Portuguese-based Creole language spoken in the island country, and titled "Kabu Verdi" ("Cabo Verde"), the poem expresses his love for his homeland and its people, and his hope for its future.
Cabo Verde
I desire your presence near
Close to me
If you were to depart,
My world would crumble
Still, I can’t find you in the universe
Nothing can exceed you
You are lovely
Like the dawn's unfolding,
Like the sea at sunset
In our embrace, the wave dances with the tide
Cabo Verde, a group of ten volcanic islands, is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of northwest Africa. These islands were discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century. In 1462, Portuguese pioneers arrived and established the first permanent European settlement in these tropical islands.
The Portuguese took advantage of the islands' location, first as a stopover for the Atlantic slave trade and then as a place to resupply ships bound for the Americas.
The call for nationalism had grown louder after the end of World War II. In 1951, Portugal changed Cabo Verde's status from a colony to an overseas province in an attempt to reduce the growing disenfranchisement with colonial rule.
The nationalist movement in Cabo Verde was intertwined with the other Portuguese territory in the region, Portuguese Guinea. In 1956, Amilcar Cabral, a Guinean, organized the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde (PAIGC) with the goal of improving economic, social, and political conditions in both Cabo Verde and Portuguese Guinea.
The PAIGC's demands eventually erupted into conflict on the African mainland when Portuguese Guinea made a bold declaration of independence in 1973.
The April 1974 revolution in Portugal led to a change in attitude towards its overseas territories. As a result, an agreement was reached in 1974 between the PAIGC and Portugal to establish a transitional government composed of both Portuguese and Cabo Verdean representatives.
On July 5, 1975, Cabo Verdeans marked a significant milestone when they elected a National Assembly and received the symbols of independence from Portugal, having exercised their democratic rights just days before on June 30, 1975.
Since that historical moment, Cabo Verde has garnered acclaim for its unwavering political stability, impressive economic growth, remarkable social development, and vibrant cultural diversity.
Furthermore, Cabo Verde stands out for its captivating musical heritage, epitomizing a harmonious fusion of African and European influences.