Culture in Cape Verde
The vestiges of Portuguese culture are much more evident than those of African culture, although this is less true on São Tiago Island, which has a significant number of people of African ancestry. Most people in Cape Verde are creole; about a quarter are of African descent. Portuguese is the official language.
People also speak Crioulo, an Africanised Creole Portuguese. For its tiny size, Cape Verde has produced a wealth of literature. The works written prior to independence focused on liberation and were mainly in Crioulo. Post independence, the themes expanded to include the mass emigration from the islands by the American immigrants and racial discrimination. Some writers, continue to write in Crioulo, while others, write in Portuguese, the dominant literary tongue.
Cape Verde is home to a variety of musical styles. One of the most popular is the foot-stomping funana, a dance beat popular in Praia and other cities and towns; morna, the national songform, typically slow, moody and in a minor key; and coladeira, a fast-moving, fluffy style of dance music. The country's best-known musician is Cesaria Evora, the 'barefoot diva', who sings in the traditional Cabo styles. Cape Verdean food is basically Portuguese, but some dishes are unique to the islands. One of the most unusual and delicious is pastel (pastry with content inside) - a mix of fresh tuna, onions and tomatoes, wrapped in a pastry blended from boiled potatoes and corn flour, deep fried and served hot.
Soups are also popular. One of the most common is caldo de peixe (fish stew), which is loaded with vegetables and spices and thickened with manioc flour. Other specialties include bananas enroladas (bananas wrapped in pastry and deep fried) and manga de conserva (an unsweetened chutney-like concoction).
About 80% of the people are Roman Catholic. At the time of independence in 1975, the Church was the single largest landowner in the country. Subsequent land reform has reduced these holdings, but the Church remains powerful in the country.
Tourism in Cape Verde
The tourism industry is one of the strongest potentialities of the economic development of the country which internal connections are guaranteed via air and sea. It is also easy to have connections with the rest of the world through different airline companies that use the international airport of Sal Island. There are various forms of communication, which allow at any time and place communication between the islands and the rest of the world. The standard modes of communication are all there, from the telephone, faxing, up to the Internet. But you will probably never use the phone because you will be so immersed in expressive richness of the people and beauty of the country that you forget that there exist outside worlds.
Cape Verde Islands, land of beaches, dunes, morna, landu, cola, and many others. Islands to discover and comtemplate, to revisit and an ideal place to find peace and relaxation in this ever changing world. The warmth of the Islands makes sure that a visitor feels at home. The beaches and dunes par excellence. Cape Verde has some of the best beaches in the world. There are tourist’s facilities throughout all the islands to accommodate all. While in Cape Verde, one has a chance to visit many historical sites such as Cidade Velha, which help to redefine western world.
Besides the historical aspects of the country and the beautiful crystal-like water of the islands with its tropical weather or the musical pallet enriched with hot rhythms of African savor like the coladeira or funana, there are numerous activities that will keep anyone happy and feeling good to be there. The seas around the islands are some of the best for wind surfing, and its deep sea diving are some of the many water sports that you can enjoy.
To top off a typical night in Cape Verde, one should not pass up on are the food and the serenade.
A typical Cape Verdean dish is rich, varied and appetizing, the LAGOSTADAS, a lobster dish, of which there are a thousand different types, are well known. There are other dishes such as crabs, limpets, and caldo de peixe, to name a few. One of the most natural ways for Cape Verdeans to get together is with a picnic and TOCATINA, an impromptu music making session. It would be hard pressed not to join them between dunes dotted with coconut and date palms, on the beaches, the islets, or at other exotic locales around the country. Visitors are always honored with a picnic and a tocatina.
Cape Verde is like music. When music and love enter the heart, never again do they leave. Like music, it is given and shared freely with any visitors who arrives on the islands. The serenade sung by moonlight beneath the window of a loved one or lamenting the parting of a friend is one of the greatest expressions of Cape Verdean culture.
Cabo Verde has beautiful beaches on the islands of Boavista, Maio and Sal that are excellent for relaxation. Plans are under way to develop attraction travel for example "eco-tourism" on the islands of Fogo and Brava and rural tourism on islands such as Santiago, Santo Antao and S. Nicolau. For investors, CaboVerde tourism development offers an excellent opportunity and a high return on investment.
