Interesting customs and traditions in Cape Verde

Well this is definitely a very broad topic. One could go on for ages about the culture of any country. But I would like to just point out one which I found (and still find) entirely fascinating. And you will only experience it if you've lived here for a while, talked to lots of people and visited the various islands.

It is simply this: Being a collection of islands under a single national structure, you would think that the culture of Cape Verde is consistent across the country. But no! This is not the case at all. Each island has its own unique culture! In fact, the version of krioulu spoken and the accent used on each islands is VERY DIFFERENT. So much so that residents from one island often have difficulty understanding residents from another island. There are even differences in dialect between residents of the capital and residents out in the villages which are further out. I actually find the language thing all very amusing.

Not only does the language differ between islands, but so does the food, the public holidays, the festivals, the degree of friendliness, the manner of travel...I mean almost everything is different.

In other words, if you've seen one island, you definitely have NOT seen them all.

I've often wondered why this is the case. And I've found the answer. The reason is simply that the cost of travelling between the islands exceeds the financial capacity of the majority of the people. It is a poor country separated by water. And Cape Verdeans do not appear to enjoy traveling and exploring. There are residents of some islands (the largest ones) who have NEVER been to the other end of their island. This is absolutely true and I have met many, many people where this is the case. For example, there are people who live in Praia who have never been to Tarrafal which is only 50 km away. There are people on Fogo who have never been to Brava which is just 10 nautical miles away. The reason is simple...they don't have the time, the money or the interest. There are other things in life more important than seeing the other side of your island...like working everyday to feed your kids.

Despite the lack of travel between islands by the major part of the population, there is of course inter-island travel and movement within islands by large numbers of people typically from the smaller jobless islands or villages to the centers (like Praia) where there are jobs. Or often too, people travel to join or visit family members who have relocated from one island to another. And thus there are some interesting "melting pots" on some islands especially Santiago (on a large scale) and Sal (on a small scale). And this causes a mixture of the island cultures all in one place. And for me it is so fascinating to say that there can be a mixture of "local" cultures among people who are nationals of the same country!

In other words, Cape Verde is a fascinating collection of micro-cultures! And you are likely to also find it fascinating is you take the time to visit more islands instead of just the tourist islands of Sal and Boavista.