10 Weird and Interesting Facts About Cabo Verdean Society That Will Surprise You

10 Weird and Interesting Facts About Cabo Verdean Society That Will Surprise You

The Cabo Verde archipelago, which rises from the Atlantic Ocean off the West African coast, is a nation built upon paradox. It is a place of strong *saudade* (strong emotional state of wistful yearning) for a home too frequently forsaken for survival. It is a culture in which African rhythms and Portuguese melodies merged into something new. To the outside world, it is a place of stunning beaches and endless sunlight, but this covers a culture of complex, stratified, and often surprising character. Cabo Verdean social norms are a testament to resilience, creativity, and worldview forged through isolation and the vastness of the ocean. Read on for ten facts that strip away the layers of the Cabo Verdean culture's strange but captivating soul.

1. The "Morabeza" That Hides the "Sodade"

Everyone who comes to Cabo Verde is informed of *Morabeza*—something, roughly translated, that is a warm, smiling, and embracing spirit. It is the nation's brand, a real quality of its citizens. But the strange and more profound truth is its coexistence with *Sodade* (the Creole version of *Saudade*). Whereas *Morabeza* is the outreaching, smiling face shown to the world, *Sodade* is the melancholic, reflective heart of the nation.

*Sodade* is a gnawing longing, not only for an individual, but for a location, a moment, or a possibility that never had being. It is the cultural marker of people who are the offspring of those who were forcibly removed from their native land (enslaved Africans) and those who came to a land that was arid (Portuguese colonists), and whose children often had to leave in order to live. The great singer Cesária Évora was the ultimate embodiment of this; she was not a singer of joyous anthems but of love, loss, and the sea both binding and dividing. That duality creates the fullest Cabo Verdean warmth most clearly articulated in its shared expressions of sorrow.

**2. A Diaspora Nation: More Cabo Verdeans Living Overseas Than in Cabo Verde**

Perhaps the most demographically unusual aspect of Cabo Verde is that its diaspora is larger than its resident population. More Cabo Verdeans live outside the islands in nations like the United States (especially New England), Portugal, the Netherlands, and France than inhabit the islands.

This is a society in which the "national community" is a global network. Its economy is heavily dependent on remittances. A definition of family that is local embraces cousins in Boston and an aunt in Rotterdam. Consistent with this, there is only one result of an extraordinary cultural phenomenon: the "return" holiday. During summer, the islands are teeming with diaspora youths, born and raised abroad, who come back to catch up on a culture learned from their parents' stories and songs. This creates a constant debate, and at times conflict, between the "genuine" island culture and the globalized, often American-influenced, culture of the diaspora.

**3. The "Funana" Forbidden Dance**

Its energetic, accordion-replete music and dance, *Funana*, is now a national symbol. Its history, however, was more bizarre. When the Cape Verdean islands were colonized by Portugal, *Funana* was regarded as uncivilized, coarse, and dangerous. Officially prohibited, its pulsating rhythm and provocative hip rolling were a danger to public morals and colonial control.

The ban, however, only drove it underground. It turned into an inaccessible, hidden language of rebellion and cultural protection. Played on rudimentary *ferrinhos* (metal scraper) and accordions bought with a lot of effort, *Funana* was the heart of the *badius*—the inner Santiago islanders, the pillar of cultural rebellion. Its path from illegal, "dishonorable" dance to national heritage is a reflection of the ways in which Cabo Verdeans reclaimed their identity from the ashes of colonialism.

**4. The National Dish is a Slow-Cooked Metaphor**

*Cachupa* is the country's favorite dish, at least according to law, a dense stew of corn, beans, cassava, and available meat or fish. But *Cachupa* is not just a dish; it is a slow-cooked metaphor for the entire society. There is *Cachupa Rica* (rich cachupa), made with multiple types of meats, and *Cachupa Pobre* (poor cachupa), made with bare necessities.

The uniqueness lies in its social and temporal role. It is a dish that simmers for hours, imposing slowness and patience. It is the centerpiece of every family reunion, celebration, and Sunday lunch. Its ingredients—American corn, African beans, European techniques—are a testament to the Creole melting pot of the islands themselves. To eat *Cachupa* is to ingest a history of hardness, mixture, and community, one literally taking all day to prepare.

**5. The Linguistic Paradox of Crioulo**

The nation's official language is Portuguese, but that of heart, home, and street is Cabo Verdean Creole, or *Kriolu*. Not a Portuguese dialect, it is an independent language, the result of encounter between Portuguese masters and African slaves. The uniqueness is its complete diversity and unofficial, but dominant, character.

No monolithic *Kriolu* exists, but several, often mutually intelligible but distinct, variations exist, with Santiago (Sotavento) and São Vicente (Barlavento) being the most pervasive. This language split reflects past isolation of the islands from each other. Portuguese is used in the government and official education, but *Kriolu* serves as the doorway to successful social integration. A foreigner who can speak Portuguese will be listened to, but a foreigner attempting even broken *Kriolu* will be welcomed with astonished delight and immediate affection.

**6. The "Tabanka" and the Ritual of Abduction**

On Santiago Island, the *Tabanka* is quite possibly the most strange and fascinating of the island's customs. The *Tabanka* is a carnavalesque, vibrant festival with African secret society origins. The most sensational aspect is the ritual "abduction" by the *Tabanka* "king" and his followers of respected members of society.

Dressed in elaborate, almost surreal costumes combining military and papal motifs, the *Tabanka* troupe marches through the streets, entertaining with music and "kidnapping" people. To be released, the "captivated" pays a ransom, which funds the community celebrations. The ritual upends the social order, allows for officially approved mischief, and reasserts community bonds through a communal, playful performance of power and reciprocity. It is an intriguing and robust expression of a living, breathing tradition that has lasted for centuries.

**7. The Respect for "Badius" and "Sampadjus"**

Culture in Cabo Verde is defined by internal archetypes, with the islands of Santiago and São Vicente being mainly the basis. The *Badius* from interior Santiago are seen as the guardians of the most "African" and traditionalist customs—belligerent, tough, and earth-bound. The *Sampadjus* from Mindelo on São Vicente are seen as more cosmopolitan, intellectual, and artistic, as a result of the city's former role as a major Atlantic port.

This is not a rigid ethnic division but an elastic cultural identity that Cabo Verdeans play with. It's the root for lighthearted competition and stereotyping, just as regional rivalries elsewhere. This internal diversity, where an hour flight is like being taken to another alien cultural world, is a strange and typical feature for this size of country, preventing a monolithic national identity from forming.

**8. The "Morna" as Geographical and Emotional Topography**

*Morna*, the national music style (Cesária Évora being its queen), is not just a type of song; it is a poem and an emotional cartography of the Cabo Verdean condition. Its themes are the sea, love, departure, and *sodade*. But peculiarity lies in its geography of sound.

The meandering, dreamy *Morna* pace is meant to replicate the rolling ocean waves. The tragic minor keys and melancholy melodies borrow from the geography of the islands—the volcanic arid land, the dominant wind (*bruma*), and the ever-present sea. To play *Morna* is not so much music; it is an acoustic discovery of the same terrain that shaped the Cabo Verdean spirit. It is the music of the archipelago itself.

**9. The "Stã" Culture (Discreetness) and Privacy in Public**

In a tight-knit society of finite size where everyone knows one another, there is a powerful emphasis on a concept very close to *Kreng Chiet*—being discreet and not seeking public attention or incurring public shame or confrontation. This is usually referred to as being *stã* (discreet, serene). Making a public spectacle is highly frowned upon.

This enables a culture whereby people can be warm and friendly in the privacy of their homes but aloof and formal out in public. It dictates the manner in which conflict is handled (indirectly), through which news spreads (through careful conduits), and by which one introduces oneself to the world. To outsiders, social interactions can seem opaque because people's actual emotions and struggles are cloaked with a veil of calm and polite reserve so as to attain overall harmony.

**10. The "Djumbai" and Collective Workpower**

The term *Djumbai* is a workparty carried out collectively from agrarian origins. When a household needs a heavy task, such as the building of a house, harvesting a plantation, or clearing for a large funeral, they call for a *Djumbai*. The individuals arrive and work for free and expect the act to be returned.

In modern times, this tradition has developed but has not lost its essence. It is a good social safety net and the manifestation of African philosophy Ubuntu—"I am because we are." The peculiarity, in the age of paid work and self-sufficiency, is this surviving economy of sharing and cooperation. It ensures that no person has to face an existential feat alone, solidifying the fact that survival and success on these ten islands have always been and continue to be a collective experience.

Lastly, Cabo Verdean society is a rich examination of the construction of a rich, cohesive identity out of a history of scarcity, displacement, and blending. These ten facts—everything from the duality of *Morabeza* and *Sodade* to the global nation and forbidden dance of *Funana*—are not anomalies. They are the required codes to cracking a people who have been able to find joy in sorrow, to build community between seas, and to express their deepest desires in the rhythm of the sea and the slow simmer of a community pot. To understand them is to understand Cabo Verde not as a chain of touristic sites, but as a nation with a soul that's as profound as the ocean that encircles it.