My heart.
Things I have learnt about Cape Verdean culture
Cape Verde is a country located on the west coast of Africa, made up by a collection of 10 islands:
Sal
Boa Vista
Santiago
Sao Vincent
Maio
Santo Antao
Fogo
Sao nicolau
Brava
Santa luzia
I have lived on the island of Sal and traveled to my husband's birth place Sao Nicolau and Sao Vincent. I have done extensive research about each individual island and have learnt that each one has a personality of its own. The only way I can explain the difference between each island is they are more like sisters than duplicates. Each island has its own twang to the Criole language and its own individual weather. Although similar, you will find a difference on every island.
Whilst living in Sal, I learnt a lot of things (mostly the hard way). Cape Verdeans have absolutely no concept of time, but they have more compassion and more understanding than most people I have ever encountered. They are incredibly social, and will spend most of their free time sitting out of the front of their homes talking to neighbors. Cape Verdeans will give you the last bread roll in their kitchen and will go to the ends of the earth to ensure you feel compfortable and at home with them. The women work incredibly hard in their homes to keep them clean and beautiful. The men work long gruling days in the hot sun to provide for their families. The children are taught to be independent from a very young age, you find children as young at 7 or 8 cooking eggs in the kitchen.
The Cape Verdeans are extremely fashion conscious and will never leave the house in anything less than clean, trendy clothes.
In the south of the island of Sal you will find it has been taken over by hotels and tourism. Whilst in the north part of the island it is still really traditional and it is rather rare to see anyone who isn't Cape Verdean. Funnily enough, the Chinese seem to have realised that there are lots of business opportunities in Cape Verde and have set up corner stores on almost every block. In these stores you can buy anything from food, to stationary to shoes.
Parties and celebrations are huge in Cape Verde, way to big for English girls. They will stay awake all night to party and will not show any signs of stopping until 6 or 7am. Drinking alcohol is popular among the old and the young. Traditional drinks are made in homes and bars, the most popular are grouge and pontche. These beverages are very strong and in my opinion can be rather dangerous. I have noticed that drinking is rather common among the men.
Cape Verdeans can DANCE. Oh my goodness, Cape Verdeans can seriously move. They are born dancing. I have never felt more white in my life, than when I am at a Cape Verdean party being forced to dance and embarrassing myself with my two left feet. Cape Verdeans are really positive and social people and they love to be surrounded by families and friends.
Family is the most important part of a Cape Verdeans upbringing and life. People have children like there is no tomorrow and care for their little ones beautifully. I find it the most beautiful thing to see Cape Verdean boys carrying their children and their siblings around town. You won't find push chairs around, so the babies are usually carried by the parents.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post. My aim is to educate and entertain. My next few posts will be based on experiences I have had, almost like story time posts.
Have a good day, no stress 💜
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