“The Tea” With Dr. T
In this space, I spill “the tea” on various topics.
9 Seeds I Wish Someone Had Planted in My Mind When I Was in High School
Commencement Address at the Lincoln School in Providence, RI
Delivered on June 11, 2024.
Commencement Address Delivered at the Lincoln School
Providence, RI
© Terza Lima-Neves - All Rights Reserved
I know you’re probably nervous about the next phase of your life. To be honest, every time something new is happening, personally or professionally, I get anxious. So these moments of transition are real. I want to acknowledge that and affirm your feelings. Although you began your time together behind computer screens – from your bedrooms and living rooms - you came back to campus, bonded as a class, learned to work together and here you are!
I can speak for everyone when I say we’re so proud of you. You have managed to get here in the most trying of times. You’ve endured a pandemic - a period that transformed your physical, emotional, and mental capacities not to mention everything that was happening in the world – some of us lost family members and friends, we witnessed racial and social violence, and so much more. During times like this, I am constantly reminded of Dr. Maya Angelou’s words, “We may not control all the events that happen to us, but we can decide not to be reduced by them.”
Graduation speeches are often filled with advice, telling graduates to go out and change the world. Considering that we are slowly entering the post-pandemic era, I want to add nuance to that idea by asking you to consider whether or not you’re mentally and physically prepared to change the world, and if that’s what you want to do in the first place. I want to challenge you to give serious thought to what it means to change the world and to what capacity. When I think about communities that have been historically marginalized, such as Black and brown folks, Queer folks, folks with exceptional physical and mental abilities, for example - if you’re a member of any of these communities, I ask that you think about how much labor and how much of yourself you’re willing to give a world that hasn’t always been kind to you or recognized your full humanity.
You don’t have to do it all. Give yourself permission to stop and decide what your life will look like. Does it mean becoming the first brain surgeon in your family? A United States Congressperson or CEO? Continuing in the footsteps of the family business? Or maybe you want to be a content creator or community organizer? How about if you just want to be happy and live good for a living? Okay, Families - I know what you’re thinking: who’s going to pay for this happy, living good for a living lifestyle? I get it y’all! As my grandmother always says, “money is expensive these days!”
But seriously, whatever you choose, make sure you think about your why -why are you choosing this particular career or job? How will it make you feel when you get up in the morning and go to bed? How much energy will it require? And how will it impact other people’s lives?
Your generation and the previous one have so beautifully taught us that we don’t have to do all the things. We don’t have to dream about work and constantly try to figure out what is the next move in our professional lives. Some of y’all have taught us that seeking rest, and finding happiness and joy with those we care about are as equally as important to live a good life. In a recent episode of his podcast, South African comedian Trevor Noah said, “We spend a lot of time doing and not enough time being.” These, my friends, are some lessons I think came out of a pandemic period that turned our lives upside down and forced us to slow down a bit.
I want to focus on you as an individual within a community and the way you practice self-care. And I’m not just talking about getting a mani-pedi, massage, and instagrammable vacay. What I’m talking about is your well-being because you’ve been through a lot in the last few years. I’m not going to give you a recipe for success because that’s a personal decision based on your goals and values. What I will tell you is that when Pulitzer Prize winner and activist, Alice Walker was asked to define success, she said, “True success is about being happy and having joy in your life.”
Consider taking care of yourself - mentally, physically and emotionally. When you intentionally care for yourself - other parts of your life fall into place. What does this look like? You have many choices and I am pretty sure you’re already doing it. Move your body, dance, sing out loud, therapy, connect with nature, meditate, get a pet, lay on your bed.
You asked me to share with you what I wish someone had told me when I was about to graduate high school. So, I want to share with you 9 seeds I wish someone had planted in my head, way back, when I was sitting exactly where you are today. I know you’re thinking why 9 and not 10? I don’t have 10. I couldn’t come up with 10 and I certainly didn’t want to round it up just for the sake of having 10. I have 9 things because that’s my business.
So here it goes!
1. You’re not going to get everything that you want every single time even when you work really hard for it. What some people call failures – I call lessons because we need to get clear about who we are and what we value. During my senior year at Lincoln I was devastated because I knew I wasn’t going to college right away. My immigration status would not allow me to get financial aid. My parents, who were factory workers couldn’t afford paying for my education. So I was wondering why I came to this country if I couldn’t continue my education. After all, that was the main reason my parents brought my sisters and I here. Although I was happy for them, watching my classmates celebrate college admission was painful. I felt inferior - like I had failed. But in the Spring, some folks from a new public service program called City Year, came to Lincoln to tell us about their work and how they empower 18-25 years old through a year of community service. I applied and was accepted. I spent my post-graduation year working in Pawtucket, Providence and Central Falls with students at an elementary school, helping local organizations with community organizing, revitalizing a building for the Cape Verdean community which is now the only cultural center owned by Cape Verdeans outside of our homeland and countless other projects that have shaped my life.
My 89 year old grandma always tells me, “Everything happens exactly the way it’s supposed to.” she’s never been wrong. Mãe has been giving me great advice all my life. Although I didn’t know it at the time, not being able to go to college immediately after high school was exactly what was needed to help me be clear about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life - to serve my community. That was the lesson I learned in City Year.
When you feel like you’ve failed or better yet, when things don’t happen in the exact order you envision, it can be because it isn’t supposed to be part of your journey or you’re going to get another experience that will help you gain clarity about your life. So when you don’t get that job, internship, or that person doesn’t like you back, it’s okay to feel all the things. Just know that it’s the universe’s way of telling you that that opportunity is not supposed to be part of your journey or maybe it will happen later. I know this is easier said than done but try your best to be reminded that nothing happens by chance and that wherever you are is exactly where you’re supposed to be. One of the things I do is write these kinds of reminders on sticky notes and put them where I can see them on a daily basis.
2. Be mindful of the people who take up space in your life. This is your tribe. They reflect who you are, who you want to be, how you want to live. They are also the people who will care for you and pour into you when you most need it. I met Samrana Malik our junior year at Lincoln. She became my sister and we were basically attached at the hip. When my mom was sick while I was in graduate school in Atlanta, Sam would come over to help run errands and 11 years after our graduation, I had my wedding reception at her parents’ home. These days we spend a lot of time, sending each other unfinished song lyrics via text message, hoping the other remembers that special 90s RnB song we used to vibe to at the club or in her car on our way to the club. I have a strong feeling that just like Sam and I, members of your current and future tribe are sitting next to you today.
3. Be kind to yourself and love on yourself. The one and only, King Beyonce said, “the world will see you the way you see you and treat you the way you treat yourself.” In your lifetime you will encounter people who aren’t very kind and will try to put you down - telling you things that will have you doubting yourself, your decisions, and your self-worth. Having a consistently kind and loving inner voice will remind you that your worth comes from within. So be kind to yourself, think highly of yourself, and love on yourself.
4. No is a complete sentence. I know this will take time to practice but start early and learn to say NO. You don’t have to be part of all the campus organizations, you certainly don’t have to volunteer for everything at that new job. Pace yourself so you don’t burn out. Set them boundaries early on. The world won’t fall apart just because you said no.
5. Be responsible, be safe but also live your best life. Take that nap, dance to that song, play that prank, wear that colorful outfit, go on that trip, laugh out loud, and don’t be scared to go after that opportunity - or maybe let it go.
6. During one of her speeches at Harvard, Poet Audre Lorde said, “If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.” To this point, the number 6th seed I wish someone had planted in my mind back in 1995 is What other people think of you is none of your business. Let them be wrong about you. Let them hate from over there. You don’t have to correct them. You don’t have to explain or defend yourself. Because in the grand scheme of things, years from now, way down the line, it won’t matter. Them folks won’t matter.
7. Compare yourself to no one. The grass ain’t always greener over there. And be especially weary of the perfectly curated lives you see on Insta or Tik Tok. Don’t believe the hype. Folks be lying.
8. Show up as your true self, and take up space. Make no apologies.
I hope you’re noticing where I am going with my message. As you enter college this fall or the workforce, or take a gap year like I did, or whichever next fabulous phase of your life you’re going off to - I am asking you to give yourself permission to choose you, to prioritize your feelings, to get clear about who you are and want to be - to listen to your voice and also let your voice be heard. To love on yourself, to intentionally choose your tribe but also be a good friend.
Class of 2024: I leave you with number 9 which is really the most important seed I wish had been planted in my mind when I was exactly where you are today –
You’re always enough. Every day. Every time. Every instance.
Congratulations
Ser O “Bom” Imigrante não o Salvará do Racismo: Uma Carta Aberta a minha Comunidade Cabo-Verdiana
Foto Por Paulo Silva, Realizador. Demonstracao Black Lives Matter em Nova Iorque. unsplash.com/@onevagabond.
O clima racial atual nos Estados Unidos criou efeitos dominó ao redor do mundo, inspirando outras comunidades Negras a tomar as ruas exigindo seus direitos como seres humanos, de existir e prosperar.
Também reascendeu debates dentro da comunidade Cabo-Verdiana sobre o nosso entendimento de identidade e de sermos “bons” imigrantes. Como professora universitária e cientista politica Cabo-verdiana baseada nos Estados Unidos, eu argumento que os imigrantes Cabo-Verdianos nos Estados Unidos têm uma responsabilidade como imigrantes Africanos (sim, nós somos Africanos) de aprender sobre a história Negra no contexto dos Estados Unidos, entender as lutas e responder em solidariedade com a comunidade Negra norte-americana, cuja história também é nossa. Se observarmos a população Cabo-Verdiana, cultura e constituição étnica bem como as afiliações políticas e econômicas, nós somos Africanos. Pensar que ser um “bom imigrante”, ou seja, trabalhar muito, não ir para a cadeia, ficar em silêncio sobre questões políticas e não exigir os nossos direitos como seres humanos, de alguma forma, nos protege de experimentar o racismo e outras formas de discriminação é ingênuo. Para alguns Cabo-Verdianos, ser de um tom de pele mais claro e ter cabelo encaracolado e bonito pode ter nos salvado em outros tempos, mas não o fará hoje. Na verdade, separar-nos da comunidade Negra norte-americana é pretensioso e é uma negação chocante da nossa rica identidade e história Africanas. No seu trabalho, a professora e historiadora Cabo-Verdiana Dra. Aminah Fernandes Pilgrim discute o quão entrelaçadas as identidades Cabo-Verdianas e afro-americanas são e a importância desse relacionamento nos direitos civis e movimentos independentistas nos Estados Unidos e em Cabo Verde. Ela diz, “se formos traçar uma cronologia da ideologia e da política de identidade do povo “negro” e da negritude, tal estimativa estaria incompleta sem o papel de Cabral e dos Cabo-Verdianos nos Estados Unidos, que contribuíram em cada guerra norte-americana desde a independência, cada luta nacional essencial tal como as do Movimento de Direitos Humanos, de 1950-1960, e para a cultura popular afro-americana (pense no recentemente falecido Horace Silver, considerado um dos maiores músicos de jazz). Para apreciar plenamente a história norte-americana Cabo-Verdiana, é necessário se envolver com a história Negra ou afro-americana, já que essa é a comunidade com a qual temos sido mais frequentemente associados (mesmo quando não escolhemos nos identificar de tal forma).” Podemos apontar para a história da discriminação enfrentada por Cabo-Verdianos nas mãos tanto de brancos como de Negros nos Estados Unidos, quando estabelecemos comunidades pela primeira vez nos finais dos anos 1800 e início dos anos 1900, bem como as experiências mais recentes para explicar porque muitos de nós decidiram ficar entre nós mesmos e não nos associarmos com outras comunidades. Contudo, eu argumento que é hora de tomarmos a liderança e seguir em frente em solidariedade com a comunidade Negra norte-americana.
Dra. Carla Moreira (Esquerda) e Miryam Mendes -Job (Direita) na demonstracao do “Gen Z e Code Black” - Providence, RI , 14 de Junho 2020.
Não vou argumentar se somos ou não Negros, Africanos ou Cabo-Verdianos neste ensaio, porque esse não é o meu objetivo neste ensaio. Podemos certamente ser todas essas identidades, já que elas não se anulam umas às outras. Há pesquisas publicadas que falam sobre a nossa identidade como Africanos e Negros. Eu incluí publicações no final deste artigo que falam sobre isso. No entanto, eu nos convido a nos questionar, “porque escolhemos uma identidade em vez de outra? Essa decisão é intencional? E, qual é a intenção por trás dessa decisão?”
Os meus objetivos aqui são: 1) desencadear conversas em torno das nossas experiências como imigrantes Africanos nos Estados Unidos e reconhecer como o racismo sistemático e a discriminação pode ter impactado as nossas vidas e 2) tratar das formas como temos nos distanciado informalmente e formalmente da comunidade Negra e da responsabilidade que nós, como uma comunidade Cabo-Verdiana, temos com relação à comunidade Negra norte-americana de aprender sobre a sua história e nos tornarmos melhores aliados e 3) nos equipar de melhores recursos em inglês e português para ajudar a fomentar o aprendizado e discussões nos nossos lares e comunidade.
O clima racial atual não se trata das nossas experiências individuais. Trata-se de compreender um sistema racista que foi colocado em prática para oprimir sistematicamente as famílias Negras e como ele prevalece ainda hoje. Não podemos mais nos dar ao luxo de nos esconder por trás da nossa identidade étnica aparentemente complexa, fronteiras linguísticas e longas horas de trabalho, como uma desculpa para não sermos melhores informados e melhores aliados. É hora de aceitar e celebrar a nossa identidade Negra e Africana e tudo o que ela implica. Podemos querer dizer que a resposta para todos os males da sociedade é amar e ser bondoso uns com os outros, mas isso é um tanto desdenhoso com as comunidades de cor que têm experimentado o racismo e a discriminação institucional. Então, a resposta pode ser amor e bondade, mas não há absolutamente nada de errado em também exigir mudanças drásticas nas instituições norte-americanas para garantir que a todas as pessoas seja concedido acesso a direitos iguais. Semelhantemente, quando fazemos comentários como “Eu não vejo cor” e “Eu amo todas as pessoas, independente da cor”, estamos a desconsiderar a identidade única de cada pessoa e negando o fato de que algumas comunidades enfrentam racismo e discriminação.
Os meus pontos de vista sobre o que significava ser Negro no mundo foram baseados do que me foi oferecido e não no que eu tomei a responsabilidade de aprender por mim mesma. Crescendo em Cabo Verde, Hollywood me informava que, com exceção de Michael Jackson, Eddy Murphy, Whitney Houston e Diana Ross, as pessoas Negras nos Estados Unidos eram pobres e perigosas. Por causa do seu passado colonial e língua compartilhados, as novelas brasileiras ocupavam a maioria das televisões em Cabo Verde. As novelas também representavam pessoas Negras como escravos e trabalhadores domésticos. No entanto, mantenha em mente que a mesma mídia dominada por brancos que eu descrevi acima ofereceu às pessoas Negras nos Estados Unidos e a pessoas de todo o mundo imagens estereotípicas e narrativas de Africanos como “booty scratchers”[1], e “famintos, esfomeados e descalços.” Alguns de nós pode ter se ofendido por esses comentários vindo de todos, incluindo de norte-americanos Negros. Sob essa luz, pode não ser produtivo se envolver numa “olimpíada da opressão”, que seria argumentar quem foi mais ofendido ou oprimido. Esse deveria ser um momento para seguir em frente coletivamente, com o conhecimento de que como pessoas Negras nós todos fomos oprimidos por racismo sistemático e é hora de uma mudança.
Foi apenas quando eu cheguei aos Estados Unidos que eu percebi que eu era Negra. Não que eu não fosse Negra antes, mas sendo de Cabo Verde a nossa identidade racial não era o foco de discussões diárias como acontece nos Estados Unidos. Eu passei os meus anos de ensino médio em uma escola exclusiva para meninas, privada e predominantemente branca, onde aprendemos sobre norte-americanos Negros selecionados, mas não de uma forma que focasse as histórias na negritude da vida diária, experimentando alegria e tristeza. Eu também não me identificava porque as minhas experiências em Cabo Verde não eram centradas numa história de escravidão. Mais tarde eu entenderia que, apesar das experiências não terem sido as mesmas, Cabo-Verdianos também suportaram um passado colonial enraizado em racismo e discriminação socioeconômica nas mãos do estado Português. Não esqueçamos da seca e fome dos anos ’40, durante a qual metade da população cabo-Verdiana morreu, enquanto os colonizadores portugueses não fizeram nada para ajudar.
Graças à minha educação numa universidade historicamente Negra e interações pessoais, eu entendo o que significa ser Negro nesse país e, de maneira geral, posso identificar racismo e discriminação quando os vejo. Eu lembro-me de um incidente que aconteceu quando eu acompanhei a minha mãe numa consulta médica na clínica da comunidade local. A minha mãe estava tentando explicar ao médico, um homem branco, que ela não tomou nenhum dos remédios que ele tinha previamente receitado, porque ela teve fortes efeitos colaterais. Porque ela não se sentia completamente confortável falando inglês, eu era a intérprete de minha mãe, algo com que muitos filhos de imigrantes podem se relacionar. Quando eu expliquei isso ao médico, ele ficou visivelmente irritado e disse, “se ela não for seguir minhas ordens e não tomar os remédios então isso não vai funcionar.” A minha mãe ficou chateada e sentiu-se envergonhada como se ela tivesse feito algo errado ao exercer seu direito de pedir por um melhor tratamento de saúde. Nós saímos da sala em direção à entrada, mas eu voltei porque eu senti que precisava de falar pela minha mãe. Eu disse ao médico o quão rude ele tinha sido com a minha mãe, que ela sabe o que seu corpo e a sua saúde precisam e que ele deveria se esforçar para melhorar os seus modos se ele planejasse ser médico em comunidades de imigrantes de cor. Daquele momento em diante, as minhas irmãs e eu nos comprometemos em acompanhar os nossos pais nas suas consultas medicas, porque entendemos que a qualquer momento eles seriam discriminados somente a base da sua origem étnica e habilidades linguísticas limitadas no inglês. Conforme você lê isso, pense sobre as formas como você ou um membro de sua família pode se relacionar com esses tipos de incidentes de racismo e discriminação. Quantas vezes você sentiu “algum tipo” de sensação num consultório médico ou em uma reunião de pais e professores porque as pessoas brancas estavam irritadas com você ou a sua família por causa do seu sotaque? Quantas vezes as pessoas brancas olharam para sua comida cabo-verdiana com nojo ou disse para você abaixar o volume da sua música cabo-Verdiana alta? Você ou sua família puderam reconhecer esses ou momentos semelhantes como racismo?
Por causa dessas experiências eu decidi que a minha vida e carreira seriam centradas no trabalho por justiça social para comunidades Africanas Negras, especialmente mulheres e meninas. De forma alguma estou compartilhando a minha história educacional para me gabar sobre quanto estudo eu tenho. Eu a menciono para provar o ponto de que o sistema educacional nos Estados Unidos está falhando com os nossos alunos, independentemente de cor, ao não os ensinar sobre as realidades da história e das experiências Negras desde cedo em suas jornadas acadêmicas. Para além do Mês da História Negra, apresentando poucas figuras conhecidas como Rosa Parks e Martin Luther King Jr., os sistemas educacionais negam as nossas crianças o seu direito alienável de uma educação diversificada. Temos o direito de ser ensinados sobre o verdadeiro impacto da escravidão na sociedade em geral e nas vidas Negras, em especial, para ter uma noção completa do clima racial de hoje.
Eu aprendi a realidade de ser Negra nos Estados Unidos. Africanos foram tirados das suas terras, mesmo de Cabo Verde, empilhados em navios como animais e trazidos para os Estados Unidos, Brasil e as Caraibas. Eles suportaram mais de 400 anos de escravidão. Eles trabalharam em plantações nas regiões do sul dos Estados Unidos, do nascer ao pôr do sol, sem nenhum pagamento como posses de donos de escravos. No norte, eles trabalharam nas indústrias têxteis, assim como os Cabo-Verdianos o fizeram durante o período industrial, vivendo em condições deploráveis. As mulheres tinham filhos, que eram comprados e vendidos como bens. Africanos escravizados eram espancados e assassinados. Eles eram propriedade. Mesmo depois do fim da escravidão, ainda haviam leis que preveniam que os Negros norte-americanos fossem livres, possuíssem propriedade e votassem. Haviam organizações como o Ku Klux Klan que aterrorizavam pessoas Negras queimando suas casas, linchando-os e espancando-os até a morte. Alguns dos membros do KKK eram parte da força policial e políticos eleitos. Em 2020, o KKK ainda está em operação nas ruas deste país e endossou a presidência de Donald Trump. Isso é importante para entender porquê a comunidade Negra não confia nas instituições policiais.
150 anos após a abolição da escravidão, Negros norte-americanos ainda vivenciam racismo sistemático. Quando eu digo racismo sistemático, estou a falar especificamente de práticas discriminatórias por parte de instituições sociais e políticas com base na raça ou cor de pele de alguém. Os fatos demonstram que há diferenças significativas entre brancos e Negros nos Estados Unidos, ao acessar educação, propriedade de casa, riqueza geracional, saúde, emprego, justiça no sistema criminal, habitação e poder político. Na verdade, a diferença de riqueza entre brancos e Negros não muda desde os anos ’60, a era do Movimento dos Direitos Civis, negros tem uma probabilidade 2.5 vezes maior de serem parados e presos por um policia do que brancos e, mesmo depois de obter educação superior, Negros recebem 3 vezes menos dinheiro do que brancos. Mesmo durante esta pandemia, os Negros foram impactados pelo Covid19 a taxas mais altas do que brancos, devido à falta de acesso a um sistema de saúde adequado. Não podemos dizer, “se as pessoas negras não cometessem crimes” ou “se as pessoas negras fossem mais trabalhadoras ou estudassem mais, eles também conseguiriam chegar lá.” Os fatos acima mostram-nos que algo maior e mais sistêmico está a acontecer e deve terminar.
Ativista Lauraberth Lima na demonstracao do Brooklyn Liberation for Black Trans Lives, 14 de Junho 2020.
Foto Por Ariela Rothstein
A comunidade Negra norte-americana tem o direito de estar com raiva. O mesmo sistema que existia desde o período da escravidão ainda existe hoje e continua a sustentar barreiras para o avanço das pessoas negras neste país. As instituições policiais ainda discriminam os cidadãos Negros. A diferença é que o avanço da tecnologia e das mídias sociais tornou possível que cada cidadão documentasse eventos e rapidamente compartilhasse informações, tais como os assassinatos de George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland e centenas de outros. Como muitos disseram, as coisas não estão a piorar, elas estão a ser filmadas.
Quando vemos as pessoas nas ruas a protestar, destruindo e saqueando lojas, gostaria que pensássemos criticamente sobre essa história ao longo de 400 anos de trabalho gratuito para construir esse país e a violência contra a comunidade Negra por um sistema controlado por brancos. Um sistema econômico que foi legalmente organizado para usar pessoas Negras como propriedade e, mais tarde, preveniu que comunidades Negras tivessem propriedades e famílias de se tornar financeiramente estáveis, às vezes as levando-as a atividades econômicas ilegais para a sua sobrevivência. A destruição de propriedade e os saques que você vê nas ruas não são um ato aleatório. Isso é feito intencionalmente para protestar contra um sistema econômico que usou o trabalho Negro gratuito para construir riqueza para os brancos e deixou a comunidade Negra em condições de desamparo até hoje. Aos olhos da comunidade Negra, aquela propriedade não pertence à comunidade Negra. Mesmo para empresas possuídas por Negros, eles provavelmente estão a pagar mais caro aos bancos em taxas de juros do que os brancos em contrapartida, pelos empréstimos empresariais que receberam. De maneira alguma estou a pedir que você destrua ou saqueie propriedades. Contudo, quando você vir pessoas Negras protestando, destruindo e saqueando propriedades, por favor, tente entender que estas ações não nascem por acaso e que há diferentes formas de protestar com as quais podemos ou não concordar.
A comunidade Negra nos Estados Unidos não quer mais receber ordens do que fazer. Muitos de nós, orgulhosos de sermos Negros e Cabo-Verdianos, fomos às ruas com os nossos irmãos e irmãs, exigindo justiça e um fim ao racismo sistemático e à supremacia branca nos Estados Unidos e no mundo. A hora é agora para nos todos sermos “os bons imigrantes” e cimentarmo-nos no lado correto da historia.
Quais São Alguns Passos Que Podemos Tomar Para Ser Melhor?
1. Responsabilizar o governo Cabo Verdiano pare se engajar ativamente com líderes de comunidades Negras nos Estados Unidos, para formar parcerias para o investimento e desenvolvimento em vez de sempre se voltar para a Europa para pedir “ajuda”. Negros norte-americanos querem investir em negócios e visitar países Africanos para participar do turismo histórico/cultural. Eles têm ido a Gana e Senegal, etc. Eles deveriam estar a ir a Cabo Verde também e gastando o seu dinheiro lá.
2. Podemos nos educar individualmente sobre a história dos Negros nos Estados Unidos da perspectiva Negra e sobre a história de colonialismo e racismo sistemático de Cabo Verde. Nessa história, você encontrará semelhanças e solidariedade.
3. Entender a diferença entre racismo sistemático e preconceito. Pessoas Negras e pessoas de cor não podem ser racistas. Racismo é baseado no poder e na habilidade de impactar a vida de alguém de uma maneira que os previna de ter acesso a recursos sociais, políticos e econômicos. Negros podem ter preconceito contra outros grupos, mas nós nunca tivemos poder suficiente para impactar o acesso a recursos de nenhuma comunidade.
4. Ser um imigrante “bom” ou “modelo”, que sempre trabalha muito e fica longe de problemas não o prevenirá de experimentar racismo e discriminação. Só porque você pensa que não vivenciou racismo não significa que não aconteceu com você e que não acontece com os outros. Racismo sistemático não se trata de experiências individuais de discriminação, mas de barreiras institucionais que previnem pessoas Negras, como um grupo, de acessar todos os seus direitos na sociedade.
5. Vidas Negras Importam (Black Lives Matter) não significa que outras vidas não importam. Esse movimento exige especificamente que as pessoas Negras tenham acesso igualitário a direitos políticos, sociais e econômicos como os brancos e outros grupos.
6. Não se trata do seu amigo que é um policia branco, bom e gentil. Trata-se de instituições policiais em geral e as suas práticas racistas. O seu amigo policia branco deveria querer reformar o sistema que discrimina contra Negros. Se não, ele também faz parte do problema.
[1] Termo pejorativo para uma pessoa de descendência africana.
Este texto foi traduzido para Portugues por Joyce Fernandes e Luis Monteiro.
Artigos em Portugues
Ta-Nehisi Coates: https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/colaborador/ta-nehisi-coates/
As Raizes Negra Da Liberdade por Nikole H. Jones
https://www.revistaserrote.com.br/2020/03/as-raizes-negras-da-liberdade-por-nikole-hannah-jones/
A Quarentena Interminavel do Racismo por Brandi T. Summers
https://www.revistaserrote.com.br/2020/05/a-quarentena-interminavel-do-racismo-por-brandi-t-summers/
A Face Animal da Brutalidade Racista por Helio Menezes
https://www.revistaserrote.com.br/2020/06/a-face-animal-da-brutalidade-racista-por-helio-menezes/
Links da Quarentena Um Manifesto de Spike Lee e o Debate Sobre Racismo
Livros e Artigos Sobre Cabo-Verdianos e a História de Cabo Verde
The Cape Verde Islands: from Slavery to Modern Times by Elisa Andrade
D’Nos Manera: Gender, Collective Identity and Leadership in the Cape Verdean Community In the United States by Terza Lima-Neves, https://vc.bridgew.edu/jcvs/vol1/iss1/6/
Free Men Name Themselves by Aminah Fernandes Pilgrim, https://vc.bridgew.edu/jcvs/vol1/iss1/8/
Between Race and Ethnicity: Cape Verdean American Immigrants, 1860-1965 by Marylin Halter
Filmes sobre a comunidade negra nos EUA (Alguns com traducao em Portugues) https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/two-thumbs-up/
Foto Por Paulo Silva, Realizador. Demonstracao Black Lives Matter em Nova Iorque. unsplash.com/@onevagabond.
Being The “Good” Immigrant Won’t Save You From Racism: An Open Letter to My Cabo Verdean Community
Black Lives Matter Protest in New York City.
Photo Credit: Paulo Silva, Filmmaker. View entire collection at unsplash.com/@onevagabond.
The current racial climate in the US has created ripple effects throughout the world, inspiring other Black communities to take to the streets demanding their rights as human beings, to exist and thrive.
It has also reignited debates within the Cabo Verdean community about our understanding of identity and being “good” immigrants. As a US-based Cabo Verdean scholar, I argue that Cabo Verdean immigrants in the United States have a responsibility as African immigrants (yes, we are Africans) to learn about Black history in the context of the United States, to understand the struggles and respond in solidarity with the Black American community whose history is also ours. If one looks at Cabo Verde’s population, culture and ethnic make-up as well as political and economic affiliations, we are Africans. To think that being a “good immigrant,” that is to work hard, not go to jail, stay silent on political matters, and not demand our rights as human beings, somehow shields us from experiencing racism and other forms of discrimination is naive. For some Cabo Verdeans, being of lighter skin and having fine, curly hair might have saved us back in the day but it won’t today. In fact, separating ourselves from the Black American community is divisive and it is a harsh denial of our rich African identity and history. In her work, Cabo Verdean professor and historian, Dr. Aminah Fenandes Pilgrim, discusses how interwoven Cabo Verdean and Black American identities have been and the importance of this relationship in civil rights and independence movements in the United States and Cabo Verde. She says, “if we are to track a chronology of the ideology and identity politics of "black" people and blackness, that accounting would be incomplete without the role of Cabral and Cape Verdeans in the US who have contributed to every American war since independence, every pivotal national struggle such as the 195o's-196o's Civil Rights Movement, and to African-American popular culture (think of the recently deceased Horace Silver, considered one of the greatest Jazz musicians). To fully appreciate Cape Verdean American history, it is necessary to engage with black or African-American history as this is the community to which we have most often been associated (even when we have chosen not to identify as such).” We can point to the history of discrimination faced by Cabo Verdeans at the hands of both whites and Blacks in the United States, when we first established communities in the late 1800s and early 1900s as well as more recent experiences to explain why many of us have decided to stay to ourselves and not associate with other communities. However, I argue that it is time for us to take the lead and move forward in solidarity with the Black American community.
Cardiovascular Physician, Dr. Carla Moreira (Left) and Dental Hygienist, Miryam Mendes-Job (Right) Protesting at the Gen Z and Code Black march in Providence, RI , June 14, 2020.
I will not argue whether or not we are Black, African or Cabo Verdean because that is not my objective in this essay. We can certainly be all of these identities as they don’t have to cancel each other out. There is existing published research that speak to our identity as Africans and Blacks. I have included publications at the end of this article which speak to that. However, I do invite us to ask ourselves, “why do we choose one identity over another? Is this decision intentional? And, what is the intention behind that decision”?
My goals here are 1) to spark conversations around our experiences as African immigrants in the United States and recognize how systemic racism and discrimination may have impacted our lives and 2) to address the ways we have informally or formally distanced ourselves from the Black community and the responsibility we, as a Cabo Verdean community have towards the Black American community to learn about its history and become better allies and 3) equip us with selected resources in English and Portuguese to help spark learning and discussions in our homes and community.
The current racial climate is not about our individual experiences. This is about understanding a racist system that was put in place to systemically oppress Black families and how it still prevails today. We can no longer afford to hide behind our seemingly complex ethnic identity, language barriers and long working hours as an excuse to not be informed and be better allies. It is time to accept and celebrate our Black African identity and all that this entails. We may want to say the answer to all of society’s ills is to love and be kind to one another, but this is rather dismissive to communities of color that have experienced institutional racism and discrimination. So, the answer may be love and kindness but there is absolutely nothing wrong with also demanding drastic changes in American institutions to ensure all people are afforded access to equal rights. Similarly, when we make comments like, “I don’t see color” and “I love all people, regardless of color,” we are dismissing the unique identity of each person and denying the fact that some communities face racism and discrimination.
My views about what it meant to be Black in the world were based on what was fed to me and not what I took the responsibility to learn for myself. Growing up in Cabo Verde, Hollywood informed me that except for Michael Jackson, Eddy Murphy, Whitney Houston, and Diana Ross, Black people in the US were poor and dangerous. Because of their shared colonial past and language, Brazilian novelas (soap operas) occupied most televisions in Cabo Verde. The novelas also portrayed Black people as slaves and domestic workers. However, keep in mind the same white-dominated media I described above fed Black people in the United States and people all over the world stereotypical images and narratives of Africans as “booty scratchers” and “hungry, famished and barefoot.” Some of us may have been hurt by these comments coming from everyone including Black Americans. In this light, it may not be productive to engage in “oppression Olympics”, that is to argue who has been more hurt or oppressed. This should be a time to move forward collectively, with the knowledge that as Black people we have all been oppressed by systemic racism and it is time for change.
It wasn’t until I arrived in the United States that I realized I was Black. Not that I wasn’t Black before but being from Cabo Verde our racial identity is not centered in everyday discussions as it is in the United States. I spent my high school years at a predominantly white, all-girls private school, where we learned about selected Black Americans but not in a way that centered stories of Blackness in everyday life, experiencing joy and sorrow. I also didn’t relate because my experiences as a Cabo Verdean were not centered in a history of slavery. I would later understand that although the experiences may have not been the same, Cabo Verdeans also endured a colonial past rooted in racism and socio-economic discrimination at the hands of the Portuguese state. Let’s not forget the drought and famine of the 1940s, where half of the Cabo Verdean population died, while the Portuguese colonizers did nothing to help.
Thanks to my education at a Historically Black University and personal interactions, I understand what it means to be Black in this country and for the most part, can identify racism and discrimination when I see it. I remember one incident that happened when I accompanied my mother to a doctor’s appointment at the local community clinic. My mom was trying to explain to the doctor, a white male, that she didn’t take the medication he had previously prescribed because she experienced strong side effects. Because she didn’t feel fully comfortable speaking English, I was my mom’s interpreter, something that many immigrants children can relate to. When I explained it to the doctor, he became visibly upset and said, “if she’s not going to follow my orders and not take the medication then this is not going to work.” My mom was upset and felt ashamed as if she did something wrong in exercising her right to ask for better healthcare. We walked out of the room towards the lobby but I turned around because I felt a need to speak up for my mom. I told the doctor about how rude he had been to my mother, how she knows her body and health needs and that he should work on improving his bedside manners if he planned to be a physician in immigrant communities of color. From that moment on, my sisters and I, committed ourselves to accompanying our parents to their healthcare appointments because we understood at any point they could be discriminated against solely based on their ethnic background and limited English language skills. As you read this, think about the ways you or a family member may relate to these types of racist and discriminatory incidents. How many times have you felt “some kind” of way at the doctors’ office or at a parent/teacher meeting because white folks were irritated with you or your family because of your accent? How many times have white folks looked at your Cabo Verdean food in disgust or told you to put your loud Cabo Verdean music down? Were you or your family able to recognize these or similar moments as racism?
Because of these experiences I decided that my life and career would be centered on social justice work for Black African communities, particularly women and girls. By no means, am I sharing my educational background to brag about how educated I am. I mention it to prove the point that US school systems are failing all our students, regardless of color by not teaching them the realities of Black history and experiences at early stages in their academic journey. Beyond Black History Month featuring a few well known figures like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., school systems deny our children their alienable right to a diverse education. We have a right to be taught the true impact of slavery on society in general, and on Black lives, in particular, to have a full appreciation of today’s racial climate.
I have learned the reality of being Black in the United States. Africans were taken from their lands, even from Cabo Verde, stacked on ships like animals and brought to the United States, Brazil and the Caribbean. They endured over 400 years of slavery. They worked in plantations in southern parts of the United States, from sun up to sun down for no pay as property of slave owners. In the north, they worked the textile industries just like Cabo Verdeans did during the industrial period, living in deplorable conditions. The women bore children who were bought and sold like goods. Enslaved Africans were beaten and killed. They were property. Even after slavery ended, there were still laws that prevented Black Americans from being free, owning property and voting. There were organizations like the Ku Klux Klan that terrorized Black people by burning their homes, lynching and beating them to death. Some of the members of the KKK were part of the police forces and elected politicians. In 2020, the KKK is still operating in the streets of this country and endorsed the presidency of Donald Trump. This is important in understanding why the Black community does not trust law enforcement agencies.
150 years after the abolishment of slavery, Black Americans still experience systemic racism. When I say systemic racism, I am specifically talking about the practices of discrimination by social and political institutions based on someone’s race and skin color. The facts show that there are significant differences between whites and Blacks in the United States, in accessing education, homeownership, generational wealth, health, employment, justice in the criminal system, housing, and political power. In fact, the wealth gap between whites and Blacks has not changed since the 1960s, the era of the Civil Rights Movement, Blacks are 2.5 times more likely to be stopped and arrested by the police than whites, and even after obtaining a college education, Blacks earn 3 times less money than whites. Even during this pandemic, Blacks have been impacted by Covid19 at higher rates than whites, due to lack of access to adequate healthcare. We cannot say, “if only Black people didn’t commit crimes” or “If only Black people worked harder or studied harder, they too could make it.” The above facts show us that something bigger and more systemic is going on and it must be end.
Lauraberth Lima protesting at the Brooklyn Liberation march for Black Trans Lives, June 14, 2020.
Photo credit: Ariela Rothstein
The Black American community has a right to be angry. The same system that existed since the period of slavery is still existent today and continues to uphold the barriers for the advancement of Black people in this country. Law enforcement agencies still discriminate against Black citizens. The difference is the advancement of technology and social media have made it possible for every day citizens to document events and quickly share information, such as the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland and hundreds of others. As many have said, things are not getting worst, they’re getting filmed.
When we see people on the streets protesting, destroying and looting property, I want us to think critically about this history of over 400 years of free labor to build this country and violence towards the Black community by a system controlled by whites. An economic system that was legally set up to use Black people as property and later, prevented Black communities from owning property and families from becoming financially stable, sometimes driving them to illegal economic activities for survival. The destruction of property and looting you see on the streets is not a random act. It is done intentionally to protest an economic system that used free Black labor to build wealth for whites and left the Black community in destitute conditions until this day. In the eyes of the Black community that property doesn’t belong to the Black community. Even for Black owned businesses, they are most likely paying banks higher interest rates than their white counterparts, for the business loans they were given. By no means am I asking you to destroy and loot property. However, when you see Black people protesting, destroying and looting property, please try to understand that their actions are not random and that there are different forms of protest which we may or may not agree with.
The Black community in the United States does not want to be told what to do anymore. Many of us, proud to be Black and Cabo Verdean, have taken to the streets with our brothers and sisters, demanding justice and an end to systemic racism and white supremacy in the US and the world. The time is now for all of us to be “ the good immigrants” and stand on the right side of history.
What Are Some Steps We Can Take to do Better?
1. Hold the Cabo Verdean government accountable in actively engaging leaders in the Black communities in the US to form partnerships for investment and development instead of always looking to Europe for “help”. Black Americans want to invest in businesses and visit African countries to participate in historical/cultural tourism. They have been going to Ghana and Senegal, etc. They should be going to Cabo Verde as well and spending their money there.
2. We can individually educate ourselves about the history of Blacks in the United States from the Black perspective and Cabo Verde’s history of colonialism and systemic racism. In this history, you will find similarities and solidarity.
3. Understand the difference between systemic racism and prejudice. Black people and people of color cannot be racists. Racism is based on power and the ability to impact someone’s life in a way that prevents them from accessing social, political and economic resources. Blacks can be prejudice against other groups but we have never had enough power to impact any community’s access to resources.
4. Being a “good” or “model” immigrant, who always works hard and stays away from trouble won’t prevent you from experiencing racism and discrimination. Just because you think you haven’t experienced racism doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened to you and it doesn’t happen to others. Systemic racism is not about individual experiences of discrimination, but rather institutional barriers that keep Black people as a group from accessing all their rights in society.
5. Black Lives Matter doesn’t mean that other lives don’t matter. This movement is specifically demanding that Black people have equal access to political, social and economic rights as whites and other groups.
6. This is not about your friend who is a good, kind white police officer. This is about law enforcement agencies in general and their racist practices. Your white police officer friend should want to reform a system that has discriminated against Blacks. If they don’t, then they are also part of the problem.
Books and Articles About Cabo Verdeans in the United States and History of Cabo Verde
The Cape Verde Islands: from Slavery to Modern Times by Elisa Andrade
D’Nos Manera: Gender, Collective Identity and Leadership in the Cape Verdean Community In the United States by Terza Lima-Neves, https://vc.bridgew.edu/jcvs/vol1/iss1/6/
Free Men Name Themselves by Aminah Fernandes Pilgrim, https://vc.bridgew.edu/jcvs/vol1/iss1/8/
Between Race and Ethnicity: Cape Verdean American Immigrants, 1860-1965 by Marylin Halter
Films about Black history (some have Portuguese subtitles)
https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/two-thumbs-up/
Some Articles in Portuguese You Can Share with Your Families:
Ta-Nehisi Coates: https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/colaborador/ta-nehisi-coates/
As Raizes Negra Da Liberdade por Nikole H. Jones
https://www.revistaserrote.com.br/2020/03/as-raizes-negras-da-liberdade-por-nikole-hannah-jones/
A Quarentena Interminavel do Racismo por Brandi T. Summers
https://www.revistaserrote.com.br/2020/05/a-quarentena-interminavel-do-racismo-por-brandi-t-summers/
A Face Animal da Brutalidade Racista por Helio Menezes
https://www.revistaserrote.com.br/2020/06/a-face-animal-da-brutalidade-racista-por-helio-menezes/
Links da Quarentena Um Manifesto de Spike Lee e o Debate Sobre Racismo
Black Lives Matter Protest in New York City.
Photo Credit: Paulo Silva, Filmmaker. View entire collection at unsplash.com/@onevagabond.
Lessons On Being A Professional Black Woman: What I Wish I knew Then…
In September, I was invited to address the participants of a wonderful professional development event hosted by the Kriolas Professional Association (KPA). It was such a well-organized event, filled with great lessons about taking care of “self” and how to succeed in the working world that I wrote down and took home.
If these young women’s work is any indication of where we are headed, I can tell you that the future of the Cabo Verdean community in the United States is in excellent hands.
KPA asked me to share stories of my personal and professional journey that may resonate with participants. After the event, there was a social media buzz about how positive and inspiring the sessions and discussions were. Quite a few people asked me to share with them what I talked about so here is an abbreviated version of what I discussed. What is missing are the stories and quirky connections that spontaneously came to my mind as I connected with audience members. These moments are part of what made the “real life experience” extra special but could not be captured on paper.
THE LESSONS
An important piece of advice I received from my mentor during my undergraduate years in college was to consider the life I wanted to live and choose a career that allowed me to live that life. I never forget that lesson because it allows me to stay focused on my life and passion instead of the paycheck. I became a professor because I wanted to be in charge of my own schedule and my own time, the topics I chose to teach about, and to serve my homeland of Cabo Verde.
Along with this major lesson, here are 7 lessons that I wish were shared with me as a Black woman while I was going through the journey of graduate school and deciding which professional path to choose.
Be yourself…authentically and unapologetically. How I show up is important. No code switching. (Code switching is when Black people/People of color have to “switch” the way they dress, wear their hair, or talk to fit in to predominantly white spaces particularly at work).
Know your worth and don’t settle for less. No professional opportunity that is truly yours will pay you less than you deserve or will ask you to work for free.
Be very mindful of who you allow in your mind, body and space. This includes family. Choose great mentors. Have diverse group of friends but have boundaries of how much of yourself is given to these folks and how you allow them in your space.
Be mindful of projects, community activities, volunteer opportunities you engage in. No is a complete sentence. Make sure whatever you choose to do aligns with your broader life goals.
Listen to your own inner voice. That’s your true voice. Live out that truth. The universe never conspires against you.
“You can have it all” is a scam especially for us Black and brown women. You don’t have to do it all. (Note: During one of the breakout sessions, Licensed therapist, Vanessa of Holistically You, INC. discussed at length that we, as Black women don’t have to do it all to have it all. We don’t have to be at all places and overworking ourselves. Vanessa gave us strategies for self-care that are intentional and realistic. I suggest connecting with her and the services she provides specifically to women of color).
Your personal and your professional life do not have to be mutually exclusive. They can be complimentary. For me, being a wife and a mom became part of my brand and professional journey.
I have one additionally lesson that I did not discuss at length or explicitly during my KPA presentation, although it was the overarching point of my talk and the entire event.
Here it is:
Sisters: we are not in competition with each other in life, in the work place or in social settings. When one of us shines, we all shine. Supporting each other as KPA does, is the only way to secure our present and future successes, particularly for Black women and women of color.
I hope these help…thanks for reading!
HEROINAS D’NOS TERRA: CABO VERDEAN WOMEN, 34 YEARS AFTER INDEPENDENCE
This article was originally published in June 2009, in celebration of Cabo Verde’s 34 years of independence. I am republishing it here with some revisions. Since then, we have lost two of our great revolutionaries, Paula Fortes (Cabo Verde) and Carmen Pereira (guine-Bissau). As you read this piece, I urge you to reflect on how far Cabo Verdean women have come since 2009 and how far we still have to go as a community, both in Cabo Verde and throughout our diaspora communities in securing gender equity.
Invisible No More
Zezinha Chantre, Lilical Boal, Isaura Gomes, Maria Ilidia, Dori Silveira, Elizabeth Reis, Ana Maria Cabral and Paula Fortes. Many of us have never heard these names before. In fact there are many more names. We often hear of the revolutionaries Amilcar Cabral, Aristides Pereira, and Pedro Pires. When we discuss the movement for the independence of Cabo Verde and Guiné-Bissau, we focus on the men, rendering invisible thousands of women who were actively involved in the successful revolutionary struggle to end Portuguese colonial occupation of these two states. The limited documented accounts on Cabo Verdean women in the independence struggle is in Portuguese, thus not reaching a wider, more global audience.
As a Cabralista, my intention is not to minimize the role of Cabral and others in the independence struggle. It is, however, to highlight the women who have actively participated in the development of their countries. The women I mention by name above were critical in the development of the Cabo Verdean state. Among other very critical roles, they were the founders of the Organization of Cabo Verdean women (OMCV) and responsible for the improvement of the status of women in Cabo Verde since the founding of the state.
African Stories The Media Does Not Want to Tell You
Much of the news produced by mainstream media outlets are sensationalized stories of Africa’s corrupt leaders and civil wars. We seldom hear about what is right with Africa. In 2008, while American citizens decided if they were ready for a female or African American president, Rwandan citizens had already taken a firm stand. On September 16, 2008, Rwandans elected 44 women to its parliament. A whopping 56.25 percent of the parliamentary seats were allotted to women, setting a world record. This had never happened on the African continent or the world. Prior to this achievement, Rwanda was widely known for the genocide that occurred more than two decades ago, violently claiming the lives of more than one million people. Although some of the world’s poorest nations are on the African continent, the level of female representation in governments is higher than in many wealthier countries such as the United States, Japan and France. We can find women in positions of leadership not only in Rwanda and Cabo Verde but also in other states such as South Africa, Mauritius, Madagascar, Uganda, Liberia, and Mozambique. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia is the African continent’s first female president.
Like many other African nations, Cabo Verde has a rich history filled with brave women who have served as role models to younger generations. From the independence period to modern times, women in this small island nation have been involved in its development, as combatants in the independence struggle, nurses, teachers, small business owners, and high-ranking government officials. Cabo Verde, one of the smallest nations in the world, has one of the most progressive governments. As of 2009, women currently hold 8 cabinet positions in its government: Minister of State Reform and National Defense, Maria Cristina Fontes Lima; Minister of Finance, Cristina Duarte; Minister of Justice, Marisa Helena do Nascimento Morais; Minister of Economy, Growth and Competitiveness, Fatima Maria Carvalho Fialho; Minister of Labor, Professional Training, and Social Solidarity, Maria Madalena Brito Neves; Minister of Decentralization, Housing and Special Planning, Sara Maria Duarte Lopes; Minister of Education and Higher Education, Vera Valentina Lobo de Pina; and Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and Parliamentary Affairs, Janira Isabel Hopffer Almada. At the local level, citizens of the island of São Vicente have twice elected Isaura “Zau” Gomes as the nation’s first female mayor.
In addition to political figures, there are women who work in business and non-profit sectors, supporting the nation’s development. Iolanda Semedo, for example, owns a full service salon in the capital city of Praia. Ms. Semedo offers professional training to many young women who would otherwise not find formal employment. This is her way of giving back to her community. Cabo Verdean women also support the country’s development through transnational activities, that is, across national borders. They travel abroad to buy goods to bring back to Cabo Verde and sell in their boutiques and community market places. Through their travels, they often form networks with immigrant women who help them sell cultural goods such as music CDs, foods and clothes, leading to the spread of Cape Verdean culture throughout the world. With all the positive examples, however, it would be wrong to ignore existing traditional norms that plague women’s lives such as domestic violence as well as sexual and emotional abuse. Through education and existing government policies, laws and local programs, both men and women must work together to overcome these challenges.
Women In The Diaspora
In the United States, many of the Cabo Verdean community organizations are led by women. Romana Ramos of the Cape Verdean American Community Development, CACD, has served as a role model in the community for over 2 decades. The younger generation of community leaders like Genie Lomba (CV UNITED) and Suely Neves (Cape Verdean Alumni Network) are a few of the many female leaders in our communities. Fatima Lima Veiga represents Cabo Verde as the current ambassador to the United States. Prior to that, she was Cabo Verde’s ambassador to the United Nations. An increased number of young women in the U.S. and in Cabo Verde are completing four-year and advanced college degrees as well as following their passion as entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, more young women need to follow this lead so that the cadre of educated and professional young women can continue to grow for the sake of developing our communities.
Celebrate Kriolas
As the nation celebrates 34 years of independence, let us remember our female predecessors who dedicated their lives so that all Cabo Verdean women could exist as free-thinking and independent citizens. Let us remember those who are still struggling so that all Cabo Verdean women can flourish without discrimination based on the legacy of colonial era traditions, now permeated in the country’s current culture. Let us reflect on Cabo Verdean women who still live amidst poverty, fear and violence. Let us also celebrate the Cabo Verdean woman: community activist, mother, partner, teacher, nurse, doctor, politician, factory worker, police officer, business owner, student, freedom fighter, and most importantly human being.
Resources for More Information
Mulheres De Luta (Women of The Struggle)
Commemorating Cabo Verde’s 550 Years of Discovery and 35 Years of Independence: What Is Our True History?
This article was originally written and published on July 5, 2010 and is published here with some revisions and updates
I thought about writing a scholarly piece about this celebratory year in Cabo Verdean history with facts and figures, from a scholar’s perspective. I sat and contemplated on what angle I wanted to approach this article and what topics I wanted to reflect upon. I thought about Cabo Verde’s development in post independence times, colonialism and its effects and the revolutionaries and their contributions to the struggle. However, I found myself stuck quite a few times as I reflected on the direction I wanted to take because I realized our history, the history of Cabo Verde lacked a solid and sound reflection of the history of Cabo Verdean people. I write this article as a Cabo Verdean woman searching for her people’s true history.
TELLING OUR OWN STORIES
The existing scholarship, whether it is books, articles or short stories, has been vastly reactionary or linked to our colonial experience as well as to the independence struggle. This history excludes the stories of every day people. There is a robust body of scholarship in Portuguese but not as much in English. There are a few publications by Cabo Verdean Americans such as the book, A Portuguese Colonial in America by Belmira Nunes Lopes, Mike Costa's documentary entitled "Proud to be Cape Verdean: A Look at Cape Verdeans in the Golden State, and Claire Andrade-Watkin's story about Cabo Verdeans in Providence, RI, "Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican."
What was the common person doing on any given island prior to and during Portuguese occupation and while the militants fought the war? Did they go to the market? Did they spend social time with friends? How about community birthday gatherings and religious celebrations? What did these look like? What is missing from the existing literature are the stories of Cabo Verdeans and their daily struggles to exist but also moments of complete joy. We are missing the fascinating and inspirational stories of the everyday woman, man and child who managed to live a decent life despite colonial occupation. In pre and post independence times, from Santo Antão to Brava, Cabo Verdeans formed communities and supported each other in tough times. That is the history that I wonder about.
CONNECTING GENERATIONS
It is known that African people both in Africa and around the world have a history of oral traditions, meaning that their stories have been passed down from generation to generation via stories we have told each other. There is a common perception that this tradition is slowly dying and younger generations are not connecting to the older generations. But with new technology and social media, this connection can be rekindled. I look at technological advancements not as “agents” of disconnect between the generations but rather as a new way to reconnect them. For example, I utilize the digital recorder that I normally use to capture my research interviews to also record conversations I have with my grandmother. I have asked her many questions about life during and after the colonial period. I have also asked her about her current daily affairs as well as others while she was growing up as a young girl, such as going to the market, gatherings with friends, family events, social and community events among other more personal family topics. Through these informal conversations with my grandmother, I have learned a piece of my family’s history, which is also a piece of Cabo Verde’s history. Imagine if all of us recorded our elders with a recorder or a pen and a piece of paper? We would begin to write our own story, not in reaction to or as a result of colonialism. This is our story.
TIPS FOR WRITING OUR OWN UNIQUE HISTORY INTO EXISTENCE
Find out more about your own family history and document it via written accounts, videos and voice recordings. It doesn't have to be in a published book although that would be cool if you can do it
Label pictures with names of people, dates, locations, and family connections such as uncle, aunt
Set up a separate email account to keep digital pictures and make sure more than one person has the credential information to sign in
Share your family stories with the children in your family so they can learn to appreciate the family history from early on
Celebrate the unique cultural experiences of your family and each island while not allowing cultural differences to cause inter-island divisions.
WHAT IS YOUR CABO VERDEAN FAMILY STORY?
A Love Letter: Lessons From My JCSU Students
About This article
At the end of the 2017-18 academic year, I received the University’s highest honor awarded to a faculty member, the Cato Par Excellence Teaching Award. Part of the responsibility of winning the Cato Award is that the faculty member is invited to address the students during one of the fancy events like Founders’ Day or the Baccalaureate service prior to graduation. This year, due to alterations in the schedule during the new president’s inaugural week celebrations, I wasn’t able to address the student body. I am absolutely fine with that and don’t feel slighted at the least. I decided that I would still write and share the speech that I was going to deliver as a dedication to all of the students that have crossed my path at JCSU in the classroom, my office, Kokomo’s, and on the block.
DEAR STUDENTS:
Normally I would stand before you and tell you selected parts of my life’s journey, hoping to inspire you or even share with you a few life lessons that have helped me along the way, hoping you’d also find some value in them. But my instincts were telling me that this wasn’t the conversation I wanted to have with you. I wanted to keep it all the way real with you.
I found myself reflecting on how lucky I have been to teach the most genuine and realest people, particularly at a Historically Black University for the past, almost 10 years and the various relationships I have built with many of you over these years. These relationships include close mentoring bonds over academic and professional decisions and personal bonds with many of you that have become family. A select few have had the experience of meeting my entire family in the United States and across the ocean in Cabo Verde, thanks to the Cato Award and the University’s study abroad program.
As a student-centered educator, I pride myself in a teaching philosophy that treats the interactions with you, my students, as learning experiences for both you and me. I don’t claim to know everything just because I have a Ph.D. As an African, I have always known the difference between knowledge (what I’ve learned through academic degrees) and wisdom (what my parents and grandmother have learned through life experiences). As a matter of fact, you have taught me so much about myself, my world and most importantly your world, helping me better understand and serve you. It’s because of the lessons you have taught me that have led me to win teaching awards and become a better educator, a better human, a better wife, a better mom, and a more confident and fabulous ME! Because of you, I love Beyonce, Cardi B and Megan The Stallion, equally and with little to no judgment (hey, I am not perfect! LOL). You have made my “Feminism” so much more flexible over the years. For this, I thank you.
THE LESSONS
These are some of the lessons you have unknowingly passed on to me and in no specific order. I hope you will share with others who cross your life’s path:
Be open. Don’t be fake. When I show up in my true form, you also show up in your true form and together, we succeed.
Kindness and a smile goes a long way.
Have compassion.
Be Patient. We are all “work in progress”.
Listen more.
Build trust.
Show my human side.
Don’t try to be perfect. I can be wrong and make mistakes. It’s okay.
Be tough.
Be fair.
Be flexible.
Be humble.
We have more in common than you think.
I am not better than anyone. No one is better than me.
This love letter is my expression of gratitude for the lessons you have taught me, the community we have built together, and the confidence to be authentically and unapologetically myself. I often hear folks say, “young people are the leaders of tomorrow”. I say, “y’all are the leaders of the now.” I truly believe that. In my 9 years at this institution you have taught me valuable lessons of strength, confidence, humanity and community. For this, I thank you.
Thank you for empowering me with self-confidence. When you show up so confidently, it sparks my confidence as well. The confidence to openly talk about being an undocumented immigrant. The confidence to say “I don’t have it all together and I cry sometimes.” The confidence to say, “I don’t know.” The confidence to bring my babies to campus because I was a first-time mom and so scared to put my babies in daycare and the confidence to do it even when “university policies” said NO! The confidence to say, “I’d rather ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” Thank you for being my children’s big sisters, brothers, cousins, mentors, second set of parents, and all the positive, strong and empowering images of “Blackness” and “Africanness” this entails. Because of you they know what community looks like. Because of you they know Black excellence is the norm. And because of you, I know who I am…unapologetically. For this, obrigadu!
With admiration,
“Dr. T” (imma need y’all to learn to say my entire name before the end of 2019, for real though)
A CABO VERDE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: (Re)Imagining The Way We "See" Africa and "(De)Romanticizing" Study Abroad Programs
When the plane touched down at the Cesaria Evora International Airport in my native Sao Vicente, I was overwhelmed with emotions and my eyes filled with tears of joy. That always happens when I visit home. Like all the other Cabo Verdeans on the plane, I clapped enthusiastically and grateful to the Universe (and the pilots) for a safe flight. This time, it was a bit different. Pride filled my heart, knowing that I was about to show off my homeland to 6 students from my University. I had no doubt, they too, would fall in love with this beautiful piece of heaven known as Cabo Verde. As a result of several months of carefully planning a comprehensive experience that I thought they would enjoy and learn from, my students would travel to three of the 9 inhabited islands (Sao Vicente, Sao Antao and Santiago), depicting three different environments at different phases of socio-economic development since this West African country’s independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975 as well as meet key individuals in communities and institutions, reflecting each students’ areas of study and research interests. The overall purpose of the trip was to rebrand and reimagine the way we think and speak of "Africa", beyond the sensationalized media portrayals of war, hunger and corruption, to truly get to know the people, the history, and the culture. I write this piece with pride, featuring selected heartfelt statements from my students’ travel journal entries (statements in quotes and italicized belong to the students). Don’t skip out on my students’ top 6 list of things to consider when thinking of studying abroad at the end of the article!
“When São Vicente came into view it was the most breath-taking thing I have ever seen in my life. Seeing that clear BLUE (and I mean CLEAR AND BLUE) water touching the sandy beaches it was amazing! One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. Once we landed and I saw the island I fell in love with it even more.”
“…Today has come that we have to leave São Vicente. I was not happy to be leaving this island. Being here, falling in love with the island and its people I feel like I was home the whole time. I will say that I left a piece of me in São Vicente. I am grateful to all that it showed me.”
For seven months, I worked tirelessly to organize a study abroad experience that included a semester long course on contemporary Cabo Verdean politics, society and culture as well as biweekly meetings with the students to answer all questions but mainly to get to know each other prior to the trip, discuss local customs, learn useful Cabo Verdean Kriol that would help them on a day-to-day basis and other nuances that academic texts don’t provide. Most of the students had never travelled internationally. The biweekly meetings were very helpful in easing the travel jitters they were experiencing. For the course, I made the bold decision to tell the Cabo Verdean story from the perspective of Cabo Verdeans and only used publications by Cabo Verdean scholars as well as invited key community individuals in the Cabo Verdean community for lectures we conducted over skype and facetime. It was a rewarding experience and I am so glad the students responded well to my decision.
There was also a service learning component to this experience. We collaborated with No Backpack Day, a local organization founded by 14 year-old Cameroonian-American young woman, Mongai Fankam in hosting for the first time in Charlotte the First Lady of Cabo Verde, Her Excellency Mrs. Ligia Dias Fonseca and her delegation (in April 2017). As volunteers with No Backpack Day, the students were excited to meet the First Lady during private functions and asked her questions related to Cabo Verde and what they should expect in May during their stay in the country. As a result of our work with No BackPack Day and with the support of the Office of the First Lady and the Cabo Verdean Embassy in Washington D.C., we travelled to Cabo Verde with 14 suitcases filled with more than 200 backpacks, school supplies, diapers, sanitary pads, and other personal care items. These items were donated to the community bank in the Island of Sao Vicente. You can read my blog article on the visit from First Lady, Mrs. Fonseca as well as additional details and information on our collaborative efforts with No Backpack Day.
You Can’t Have Work and No Play!
The trip included visits to a day care center, primary and secondary schools, a day center for street children and another center for children/young adults with exceptional needs. Our hearts were filled with joy and gratitude after these visits, because of the bright smiles in the faces of the children and how much we learned from them about what is meant to “live simply and happily”.
“I was surprised to learn that the students take classes in sessions, either morning classes or at night. The students were all so bright and focused. I remember one girl telling us she wanted to be a club DJ when she got older, making us all laugh. Coolest thing about the school, however, was that they teach their students sign language so that they can communicate with the students who have hearing impairments. We also got to meet the students who were hearing impaired and see firsthand how they communicate and their little names for one another that they do through sign language.
“The day center was a better trip than I expected. I was prepared for a sad trip but instead our spirits were kept high. The young adults had prepared a concert for us, danced, and one girl even sung to us in English. We were all so impressed and I almost shed a tear. I couldn’t help but notice that they weren’t letting their illness hold them back. They had adapted to cerebral palsy, and continued to live their lives, happily. Realizing this, that they could be ill and still find joy in life, was the best part of the day.”
We hosted a traditional afternoon tea for students and faculty from the University of Mindelo in Sao Vicente Island. The students exchanged experiences, leading to a discovery that university students, regardless of geographic location, go through similar struggles. I am also glad that my students built friendships with the local students. During our stay they were able to do “normal” things that college students do like go to parties and compare notes on favorite music, artists and overall social scene.
“I’ll never forget meeting with the university students because of their pleasant personalities and how much they talked to us. Their English was pretty good and I was jealous of how many languages they spoke.”
“…the next day we got up early to meet the President of the University. This meeting was amazing, we learned about the university and the different challenges they face and programs they have. What amazed me the most was how the University had help from the students with exceptionalities in designing programs to fit their needs.”
The sun and beautiful beaches of Sao Vicente Island, an adventurous tour through the mountainous and majestic island of Sao Antao as well as a tour of the historic first city of Cabo Verde, Cidade Velha (Old City) on the island of Santiago added so much value to our experience!
“I was so taken aback when I saw the ocean in all its glory and beautiful beaches, sand, sea shells and mountains. The mountain views from the airplane are out of this world amazing. I still couldn’t believe that I was in Africa seeing all of this and able to witness how people live in another continent. When my group traveled to Santo Antao Island, and traveled above the clouds, I was amazed at what I was witnessing. There were so many clouds as far as my eyes could see and here I was standing right there on the edge of the cliff with my IPad mini, soaking it all up. It was then that I thought of my son and how he would be amazed at that and how much people back in the States were missing all of this. I felt so honored, so blessed and so fortunate to be witnessing that.”
“The most beautiful part of the trip for me was stepping away from the water and into the mountains. We got up early to catch a ferry from Sao Vicente to Santo Antao island. We got a tour of part of the island, barely scratching the surface but the scenery was amazing. How many people can say they’ve taken a picture on a mountain above the clouds? Each stop on the tour filled with beauty – and with every mountain, every hill, and even one caved-in volcano … I fell in love.”
“…We went to tour São Filipe Royal Fort. The tour was very depressing. The enslaved Africans built the fort to keep enemies away (as required by King Philip I of Portugal). They brought the stones used all the way from Portugal. We were able to see the cannons that had cannon balls still stuck in them and where they stored their water. The most emotional part of the tour was when we stood by the “gateway” into the island. I couldn't help but think about all the enslaved Africans that had to build this fort and the way they were treated. The fort was amazing but the way it came to be is sick and upsetting.”
Traditional Lunch Hosted by
President Jorge Fonseca and First Lady, Ligia Dias Fonseca
I am not sure how many students who travel abroad get to say that during their experience they met the president and first lady of the countries they visited! However, my students will forever cherish this moment.
We toured the Presidential Palace, ate yummy traditional food and had a chat with the President and First Lady. Since the students had previously met Mrs. Fonseca during her visit to Charlotte they felt a special connection with her. She is warm, inviting and down-to-earth! Because of this, they named her “Tia (auntie) First Lady” and of course, the President Fonseca became “Tio” (uncle). Once I told them, Cabo Verde's First Couple chuckled and thought their new titles as "tio" and "tia" were fun and fitting! The students especially enjoyed how much of a good sport the First Lady was in taking selfies with them! We received gifts from them and we also gave them commemorative t-shirts marking 150 years of our University’s existence.
“You know you are royalty when you get a personal tour of the presidential palace and have lunch with the President and First Lady. I’ve never taken a tour of the White House, but I’m sure it’s not as cool as this. Everything about the palace was amazing, from the color schemes in the different offices, to the history, and the overall structure of the buildings. We took so many pictures and learned all at once. One thing that stood out to me were the exit signs in the buildings, they all had Chinese characters on them. I later learned that the Chinese helped build the presidential palace due to their close relationship with Cabo Verde. Overall, President and First Lady are unique and beautiful people. They were so welcoming to us. And of course, my favorite part of the tour – the food!”
“It was a very informative tour that allowed us to see a place that most citizens of the country haven’t even been allowed to see. When we saw the First Lady she was very excited. She gave us all big hugs and shouted, “I remember you!” to all of us who met her previously. The President spoke with us for a while and we took pictures. Then we moved downstairs for tea with them! The food and drinks were delicious. We talked with the President for about an hour. We all asked him some questions and his answers were funny and/or insightful. We took individual pictures with him and the First Lady. Then we got a little gift from them and we gifted them JCSU shirts. We also got to take selfies with Tia First Lady, which was hilarious. According to the First Lady’s advisor he must have really liked us because he never speaks with people for that long. That was a special thing to hear. We were also invited to come back..”
“We got a tour of the house and went into the “Oval Office.” After we finished the tour we ate some amazing food…Which was even more amazing because I hadn’t eaten all day. After we ate, we took some photos and the First Lady and I snapped for all of our snapchat fans. Everyone was so shocked that I knew the President and First Lady of Cabo Verde and I was just like that’s my aunt and uncle, crazy people! A couple of snaps later and auntie and uncle had to leave, you know they have a country to run.”
I Have Always Travelled Home as A Native...
This Time It was Different
By the end of the trip, I was tired! After all, I had spent months planning the trip, coordinating details with the University, travel agency as well as our local partners in 3 islands, including the Office of the First Lady and the President of the Republic. During our trip, I also interpreted portions of our experiences when we didn’t have an interpreter available. My brain was so confused as to what language to think in and at times, I would even start speaking to my students in my native Kriol.
Yes, I have been home for research and conference presentations but I have never organized a trip and been responsible for other people’s experiences, especially students. So yes, it was different but a very rewarding life changing experience not only for the students who traveled with me but for myself. It gave me the opportunity to view my home country with fresh lenses, to reevaluate and appreciate where I come from, for what it is…simple and happy living. I was especially thankful to those institutions and trained professionals who work with our elders and children, particularly those in vulnerable conditions. The tours of the centers that care for them made me realize how much strategic planning has gone into ensuring that they live a good and decent life but also how much work there is still to be done in supporting their efforts. Resources are scarce and they need the help. During our meeting with the United States Ambassador to Cabo Verde, Mr. Donald Heflin, my students were particularly interested in knowing what projects were in the works by the U.S. government to help centers like the ones they'd visited, since they noticed that embassies from Australia, Holland and Luxembourg were very supportive with improving the infrastructure and providing equipment for individuals with exceptional needs.
“Traveling to Cabo Verde-Africa was eye opening because of how Africa is portrayed in the United States. It makes me realize how vast Africa is as a continent and how different each country will be. Visiting Cabo Verde makes me want to travel and experience more!”
“The planning that went into this trip including the hotels, taxis, translations, travel guides, resorts and visits to the university, meeting with the students, meeting the President and First Lady and touring the Presidents’ quarters, the ferry rides, air travel and everything else in between was impeccable. I would have never guessed in a million years how top of the line everything would be. It was as if I won this opportunity on the game show: The Price is Right and this was an all-inclusive trip to the Island of my dreams. It was a dream come true and my professor was so instrumental in all of this happening for me. I thank God that I was able to be blessed with this trip and will always keep it dear to my heart that I was able to see a part of where my ancestors come from.”
“In all, this was a trip of a lifetime. I ate amazing food, met amazing people, and got to experience all Cabo Verde had to offer. In all, I learned about how Cabo Verdeans not only teach, but also learn from individuals with exceptionalities. I hope I can incorporate what I learned in Cabo Verde into my studies, to help further the inclusion and acceptance of individuals with exceptionalities.”
Against the Romance of Study Abroad and
Reimagining The Way We See “Africa”
When we began this journey in October of 2016, during the first study abroad interest meeting, I did not imagine that we would embark on this rewarding journey together. Traveling with this particular group of students to my homeland was such a blessing. They were kind, friendly, respectful of the culture, courteous, curious, a pleasure to be around and overall thankful for the experience. I am grateful that the University supports global engagement of this magnitude via the passport initiative (every first-year student who is a United States citizen is eligible to apply for and receive his/her passport, free of charge) and the study abroad experience which over the years has taken students to several countries such as Brazil, Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Turkey, Russia and Cuba. I hope that many more students continue to take advantage of these opportunities.
However, I couldn’t help but to think of a recent article that I came across on www.africasacountry.com, entitled “Against the Romance of Study Abroad” by Ben Gardner and Ron Krabill, both professors at University of Washington, where they too have organized study abroad programs to African countries. In this article, they question the intent and reciprocity of study abroad programs and whether or not the concept of “global partnerships” is really misleading. The idea is that there are many institutions who are “partnering” with countries in the developing world or other countries with less resources but that these relationships aren’t mutually benefiting, only catering to U.S. institutions but not to the communities of where these visits are taking place. I invite you to read the entire article via the link, http://africasacountry.com/2017/07/against-the-romance-of-study-abroad/.
I bring attention to this article because it is important for those of us planning or coordinating study or travel abroad experiences for our students and/or other groups, to really understand that we must honor and respect the people, the history, the culture we are about to come in contact with. We must be realistic and genuine with our intentions. We must be willing to contribute in various ways to the society but also be open to learning from it. We must be honest, intentional and strategic with the type of experience we are looking to engage in. Lastly, we must understand that we are dealing with real people and not just subjects who will “perform” their cultures for us during our stay. As a native of Cabo Verde, I must be honest in saying that I often found myself questioning if I was being authentic or simply “pimping” out my own people, culture and country for the sake of our university program. In the end, I was able to sleep at night knowing that I tried my best to do the right thing.
By using Cabo Verde as a case study and visiting three of the ten islands, the students learned that even in the same country, there is diversity in people’s experiences, history and local culture. As a continent, Africa is made up of over 50 countries with different cultures, ethnic groups, historic backgrounds and more. It is very important to travel and get to know people, to hear their stories through their own voices and not through what outsiders imagine and conclude them to be.
Through their personal experiences and direct interactions, my students see Cabo Verdeans as happy, kind and welcoming people and not as destitute citizens of a poor country they read about in a textbook. They also understand the economic and social complexities of this small and relatively young, developing island nation. They have made friends, whose names they remember and will maintain contact with thanks to social media. They will remember how special they felt during the private lunch with an African president, the first lady and how these two very important individuals invited them to come back to their country...anytime. They will remember that Cabo Verde's "morabeza" is very similar to North Carolina's "southern hospitality" which is where our university is located, recognizing that in this case, Blacks in Cabo Verde and Blacks in southern United States have this in common. They will remember the names of each island and how each environment made them feel. They will remember what made them sad and extremely excited during this trip. They will consider a return visit for the fresh fish and fresh air. They will continue to reflect on their own existence as humans and what they can do to make the world a better place through service and other acts of kindness. They will remember standing at specific places where their enslaved ancestors stood, feeling emotional, connected, conflicted, and extremely proud to be Black!
As Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie mentioned, “The single story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”
Lessons From Students:
6 Things to Consider When Going on or Considering a Study/Travel Abroad Experience
Learn as much about the place you’re going to as possible. Allow yourself to develop an appreciation for the historical importance of the place, not just the beauty. Also try to find out the current issues surrounding the country and figure out how you could possible help, especially if you really connect with the place.
Consider this: It’s better to live a life full of amazing, unforgettable experiences than live a life full of “collecting” things. Material items don’t bring happiness, but fulfilling experiences and relationships do! Travel and see the world now while you’re young and able, you’ll thank yourself later. Remember, every single new experience is an opportunity to learn and grow as an individual.
Stay open-minded. Study abroad is an opportunity to learn but also a time to experience. You’re free to be whoever you want.
Leave the images of the world painted for you behind and paint the world for yourself.
Immerse yourself into the culture of the place you are in. Don’t get stuck in your little “Americanized” bubble. Pop it and dive head first into the culture, hang out with the locals. They will show you the best of wherever you are going.
Don’t let your age discourage you from immersing yourself into other cultures. By doing this, you learn so much more about not only yourself, but the thought process of others in the world around you and it makes you appreciate them and life much more.
Mrs. Ligia Dias Fonseca, the First Lady of the Republic of Cabo Verde and Delegation Visit Charlotte, North Carolina
How incredible is the power of African women! We know how to come together and make it happen! This Spring I collaborated with No Backpack Day Organization in welcoming a visit from the First Lady of the Republic of Cabo Verde, Her Excellency Mrs. Ligia Dias Fonseca and her delegation. It was the first time the First Lady had been to the American south and the visit was nothing short of productive and inspiring!
Mrs. Ligia Dias Fonseca, First Lady of the Republic of Cabo Verde
Left to Right: Terza Lima-Neves, Mongai Fankam, Oriana Goncalves, Jaqueline Marques, Ligia Fonseca, Abong Fankam, Fatima Goncalves, Alzerina Gomes at No Backpack Day Annual Conference
Mrs. Fonseca was invited by the founder of No Backpack Day, 14 year-old Cameroonian-American, Mongai Fankam and her mom Abong. Mongai’s story and philanthropy is so inspiring to all of us, young and old. Please read more about the mission of this wonderful organization at www.nobackpackday.org. The main objective of this official visit was for Mrs. Fonseca to serve as keynote speaker of the No Backpack Day Annual Conference highlighting the successes of access to education for young girls and raising awareness of the challenges still faced by millions of girls in Africa and worldwide. The local organization has collected more than 10,000 backpacks and school supplies over the last 5 years that have been sent to Cameroon, South Africa, Liberia and this year, my beloved Cabo Verde.
Mrs. Fonseca, Mongai Fankam and Principal Eybl at Waddell Language Academy
Global Education for Girls at a Glance
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), there have been major gains in access to education for girls particularly with the work that has been completed for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The number of girls who are out of school has dropped by fifty percent since 2000. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. There are still 130 million girls who are out of school, all over the world. Over 30 million primary school age and over 90 million secondary school age girls are not attending schools for several reasons. 30 million of these girls are living in countries where natural disasters, war, health epidemics and extreme poverty create challenges to their education. There are roughly 80 countries with precarious conditions for girls’ education, primarily located in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. For inspiring stories from girls around the world, including her own story of personal hardship and triumph as well as for more information on the status and work on global education for girls, I encourage you to visit https://www.malala.org/, the website for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and champion for global education for girls, Malala Yousafzai.
First Lady Fonseca gets playful with students at Waddell Language Academy
U.S. South Gets Hip to West African Island Nation, Cabo Verde!
In addition to the No Backpack Day Conference and its mission which has attracted the attention and presence of global leaders like Liberian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee and former president of Malawi Dr. Joyce Banda, the visit from the First Lady of Cabo Verde was very important in connecting Cabo Verde with North Carolina in more formal ways.
It shed light on the growing Cabo Verdean community in the southern region of the United States, namely North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Mrs. Fonseca’s visit was extremely productive in introducing Charlotte to the historical connections between the United States and Cabo Verde. The founder of the United House of Prayer For All People, Marcelino Manuel Da Graca, commonly known as “Sweet Daddy” Grace was born on the Islands and is featured in an exhibit at the Levine Museum of the New South. In addition to the Levine, the First Lady visited local elementary and middle schools, and the Gantt Center for African/African American Arts. Mrs. Fonseca also met with the mayor of Charlotte, Mrs. Jennifer Roberts, Dr. Ronald Carter, President of Johnson C. Smith University and local businesses interested in exploring African markets. Our very own Cape Verdeans of the Carolinas Association also hosted an “Afternoon Tea” for the community to meet and chat with Mrs. Fonseca, discussing ways that the Association and the Cabo Verdean government can collaborate in support of the homeland.
A visit and chat with Mayor of Charlotte, Mrs. Jennifer Roberts
Mrs. Fonseca at "Sweet" Daddy Grace exhibit, the Levine Museum of the New South
Afternoon tea hosted by Cape Verdeans of the Carolinas Association
Cape Verdeans of the Carolinas support No Backpack Day Annual Conference
The visit from the First Lady also created a buzz for the JCSU Study Abroad Experience to Cabo Verde in May 2017, for which I was the lead faculty member. With the help of No Backpack Day Organization and its existing partnership with Charlotte area public and private schools we collected and brought 250 backpacks to Cabo Verde and donated them to the mayor’s office in the Island of Sao Vicente. We also collected school supplies and personal care items such as diapers, sanitary pads, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, and shampoo. Stay tuned for my post of our adventurous and rewarding trip to Cabo Verde!
Mrs. Fonseca with students from the course on Cabo Verde society and politics at Johnson C. Smith University
The delegation with Dr. Ronald Carter, President of Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University student volunteers at No Backpack Day Annual Fundraising Dinner
“SHE IS A GIRL LIKE MOST OF US…”
The daily interactions with Mrs. Fonseca touched my heart. This Mozambican-born and award-winning African woman is a kind, genuine and caring human being who is particularly concerned with the well-being of all children and works particularly hard to ensure a happy and safe upbringing for the children of Cabo Verde. The various Cabo Verdean and global organizations that she works with is a testament to this fact. Very reminiscing of First Lady Michelle Obama, Mrs. Ligia Dias Fonseca, who is also a lawyer by trade, is funny and real! She is a typical girl like many of us, concerned with how her hair looks, if her outfit is appropriate for the next state dinner and if her selfie looks good enough to post on social media. She spent quality time interacting with my daughter, sharing private moments with her and showing my Ema pictures of her own daughter, Rita. She loved the salmon salad and desserts at the famous Charlotte-based French-inspired bakery, Amelie’s. Mrs. Fonseca travelled with an all-female delegation comprising of her assistant, Mrs. Fatima Goncalves, Ms. Jaqueline Marques, advisor to the President on diaspora affairs, Ms. Oriana Goncalves, representative from the Cabo Verdean Embassy in Washington, D.C and New York-based Cabo Verdean designer and business woman Ms. Alzerina Gomes.
Walking hand-in-hand with my daughter, Ema, on a tour guided by Principal Eybl at Waddell Language Academy, where Ema is a student in French immersion
Our selfie game is strong!
It was nothing short of GIRL POWER! Being around these accomplished and down-to-earth professional women made me feel inspired and motivated to keep doing the work that I do, knowing that I will always be supported by the Cabo Verdean community. I will no longer defend the fact that my work focuses on Cabo Verdean women. I will unapologetically own it!
Love this shot by photographer Ray DaRosa! #Poderozas #RebrandingKriolas #AfricanGirlsRock
Thanks to Fatima Goncalves for capturing this sweet moment with my son, Emilio. Kriola Mommy-Scholar is always at work!
As Liberian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Leymah Gbowee once affirmed, “I am now on a journey to fulfill the wish, in my tiny capacity, of little African girls.”
An Inventory of 2016 and Creating the Vision For 2017
TAKING INVENTORY OF 2016: WHAT DID I ACCOMPLISH?
Happy New Year, friends! May this year bring us health as well as much needed peace and patience.
It’s that time again where we make resolutions about the new year and plans for what we are going to do or stop doing. Research has proven that some, if not most of these “resolutions” and “plans” are abandoned by the second or third week of the new year.
For myself, I have noticed that I am most successful when I get that “gut” feeling and just get up and make changes without waiting for “a new year”, “a specific Monday” or something of the sort. I also enjoy taking quarterly/seasonal and annual inventories of what I have accomplished. A quarterly inventory helps me get back on track if I have fallen off and the annual inventory helps put everything into perspective.
For the last 3 or 4 years, I have tried to be more intentional in the way that I live my life because I just simply do not have time to waste as a wife and mommyscholar. In order to stay focused, I have divided my life into four areas: 1) Womanhood, 2) Home and Family, 3) work Life, and 4) community Work. These are the different parts of my identity that make up who I am and help set the tone for what I can do to make the world a better place. Normally in early December, I divide my journal page into four sections, with the section header at the top and then jot down my accomplishments in each section (see the main image for the post for an example).
Womanhood
if I can be completely honest this is the easiest part to ignore, especially for those of us who juggle being spouses, mothers, and professionals.
It has been a long journey in learning that I must take care of myself in order to be good for everyone else. But I am happy to announce that I have left “mommy-guilt” in 2016. I am the proud mother of 2 toddlers, (3 year old boy; 5 year old girl). That means my life is beyond busy and sometimes chaotic. Since my children are exactly two years apart, I have been jokingly telling my friends that I was pregnant for 2 years. It’s been my natural inclination to put them first and more often than not, forget about my physical and emotional health. You know what I mean, right? Forgetting to eat or just eating their leftovers, thinking that a cup of coffee is a full meal, going in the closet to scream or have a complete mental breakdown because the kids have flooded the bathroom (yes, that really happened) and are running around completely naked, not doing my hair, not making time for a date, not making time for me…I can go on and on but you get the point.
After both of my babies started school full time this past August, I finally took the great leap into self care! Inspired by my sister’s amazingly successful weight loss journey, this past September I joined a weight loss program and a local gym. As someone who has been a fan of and played sports (basketball and futebol) most of her life, I am proud to say that I ran not only one but two 5k marathons this year, to benefit the Lupus Foundation and breast cancer research. Getting back to healthy has been so rewarding (although my knees and back will try to tell you different)! It’s been so much fun to shop for and fit into clothes in my own closet that I was so sure I was going to give away. I am now addicted to running and I dare anyone to try to schedule a meeting or ask me to do anything during my gym time! That is non-negotiable unless it is a family emergency. I even find time to work out when I am out of town at conferences or delivering lectures. A 3 mile run, weights, and post work out sauna visit are crucial to my ability to stay emotionally and physically healthy, to be a whole woman.
I have to say that one of the key components to being successful in this journey has been the support of my loved ones. Without my sister, husband, and grandmother checking in on me on a weekly basis with words of encouragement when the scale is being mean to me or with new meal suggestions, I don’t know if I would be this successful. As the old saying goes, “it takes a village…”.
Home and Family
2016 brought so many blessings to my family!
Hubby started a new position at an academic institution, something that we had been very actively asking the universe for, on his behalf. Our little boy began full time preschool at 3 years old. He knows all his numbers and ABCs as well as can spell and write his first name! Our PrincessSuperHero launched her academic career in Kindergarten. She attends an international language academy and is in French immersion, which means that all the teaching and learning is done in French. As Africans, we are grateful that her teacher is an African woman from Nigeria. It has been such a rewarding journey witnessing her progress. In addition to being able to count to 100, knowing all her ABCs, and singing in French, she is becoming fluent in the language as well! It’s amazing what the mind of children can do and the knowledge they can retain, especially in different languages.
When we weren’t in school, at work, the gym, or karate, this year included lots of play activities like time at the park, the beach, pumpkin picking and we even managed to sneak in lunch and dinner dates for hubby and I.
Work Life
As an undergraduate student, my mentor advised me to focus on envisioning the life I wanted to live and then think of the job or career that would lead me to that lifestyle. He told me that it would bring me joy and fulfillment and not just a paycheck. I love to travel, (especially back home to Cabo Verde), having a flexible schedule to be an involved mom and wife, as well as non-conventional ideas of what an “office space” looks like. But what sealed the deal for my decision on working in higher education was the potential impact I would have on the lives of young people.
Similar to the impact my mentor had in my life, I don’t take for granted that I get to support young people in their pursuit of personal development and academic knowledge. After years of juggling teaching, mentoring, working tirelessly on articles/chapters for publications, serving on university committees, organizing campus and community programs, presenting at professional academic conferences, (and not to mention having two children back to back), I was granted tenure and promotion to associate professor. In case, those terms are unfamiliar to you, tenure means job security and promotion means I went up in my rank from assistant to associate professor. Next and final rank is full professor. It was a difficult process but also a rewarding journey, allowing me to reflect on all of my accomplishments over 6 years.
An inventory of my professional life made me realize that I am exactly where I am supposed to be: working for students who need me to be there, to mentor, advise, and help them realize their own greatness and potential. There is nothing more rewarding than that. This is why I love the work that I do. It goes beyond the four walls of the traditional teaching and learning environment. I don’t only teach political science courses at a historically black university. I support and empower young people, many of them first generation college students, in their journey of self discovery!
Community Work
My personal and professional identity is deeply rooted in the Cabo Verdean community. I am committed to supporting and uplifting the Cabo Verdean community, at home and abroad, beginning with the Cabo Verdean woman.
For many years, one of my dreams was to organize an international conference on Cabo Verdean woman and it finally came true this past March! PODEROSA (meaning Powerful Woman), as this conference was dearly named by my sister-friend and co-founder, Aminah Fernandes Pilgrim finally became a reality! It brings tears to my eyes to remember that cold day in March, a room filled with hundreds of men and women, Cabo Verdean and non-Cabo Verdean alike, from all walks of life. I was also surrounded by family and close friends. The next installment of PODEROSA will take place in March 2018. Stay tuned for more news and future PODEROSA events!
In addition to PODEROSA, I continued my local work with promoting Cabo Verdean culture in the Carolinas. In 2016, the Cape Verdeans of the Carolinas Association was successful in hosting social and cultural events, leading to a feature in the local newspaper, the Charlotte Post! From a Black History Month film screening of “Proud to Be Cape Verdean: A Look at Cape Verdeans in Southern California” followed by a discussion with the film’s director, Mike Costa and our Third Annual Independence Day Celebration in July, to our Third Annual Holiday Bash, attended by over 100 community members to benefit local victims of hurricane Matthew, I couldn’t be prouder to be the founding president of this amazing association. The members are giving, hardworking and always willing to help when it is needed. This speaks to the nature of the Cabo Verdean people and culture.
Perhaps one of the biggest community leaps I took in 2016 was joining, Instagram or as the young folks call it, Insta! Feel free to connect with me @kriolamommyscholar. Insta connects me to the different communities of Cabo Verdeans, Kriolas, Black/African women, mommies and more. I do enjoy the entertainment value as well.
It was a busy year” sprinkled with bits of frustrations, tons of fun, lots of tears but also loads of hugs and “I love yous”. But as they say, “C’est la vie”…that’s life!
CREATING THE VISION: WHAT WILL 2017 LOOK LIKE?
This year, I will continue to:
Do more of the work that brings me joy and fulfillment like my community work with Cabo Verdean women and not just focus on what will bring me publications as a researcher and scholar, although that is also very important since my professional and personal worlds intersect quite a lot.
Focus on my personal well being because I have evidence from 2016 that when I am at my best, my family and everyone else around me are better served. My heart smiles at the memories from this Summer, when I drove three hours to Woodstock, a small town in Georgia for a book signing event with one of my favorite authors, Emily Giffin as she offered insights into her new book, First Comes Love. After the book signing, I grabbed dinner at a local sushi spot (And I even ordered a mojito!), followed by a long walk down a shopping strip, glancing at the window display of each store, just enjoying life by myself. I stayed overnight at a hotel (thanks to hubby), waking up early to run 2 miles before taking my shower, packing and checking out. Before leaving Georgia, I sat at La Madeleine, a French bakery featured on an episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta (don’t judge me), for a latte and some light reading of my new signed copy of Emily Giffin’s book. It felt so good not to have “mommy-guilt”!
Sit at local coffee shops with my drink of choice in hand and observe life happen or have short but interesting conversations with perfect strangers about a lot or nothing important.
Shop for new nail polish colors, a personal obsession of mine.
Check my emails less and check my Fitbit more, to make sure I am reaching my goal of 10,000 daily steps.
Work harder on being still and enjoying the moment because I realize that I am often worried about “the next thing”. This is one of the areas of my life that I still struggle with and will require attention. As I write this post, I am worried about having enough time to go to the gym, shop for groceries, take the kids out for some nature fun and make it on time to karate class.
Try my best to grab my professional camera and go for a walk at a local park or a part of the city that I have not been able to explore, to capture life and nature at its best, something that I enjoy thoroughly but have been putting off until the next day because…life.
Being Successful on a Daily Basis
As much as we take annual and quarterly inventories, what makes us successful in the long run is the work that we do on a daily basis to stay on track in accomplishing our goals.
For example, I create “to do lists” on my planner and check items off as I accomplish them, prioritizing the items from high to low importance. Items of high importance such as writing a chapter for a book or an article for a journal will go first not because they are more important than volunteering in my daughter’s classroom but because they take a lot of time and are tougher to accomplish. So tasks that are tougher to accomplish go first.
I am “old school” and still carry my planner in my computer bag or leather bound journal in my purse. But thanks to technology there are so many apps that we can use on our mobile devices to help us stay focused.
I really like the Five Minute Journal app which sends me reminders at the beginning and end of the day to ask what tasks I am planning to accomplish as well as what I am thankful for on a daily basis. This is my personal favorite because it combines “to do lists” with “mindfulness exercises”. Every day I am reminded to list at least two things that I will accomplish and two things that I am thankful for.
Some Questions to Ask Ourselves
I think we can agree that as human beings most of us are trying to be happy, remain stress free and content with the lives that we live. To an extent, we all have control over how our lives are carried out. So it is important to ask:
What does “being successful” mean to me?
What will bring me fulfillment on a daily basis and what do I want my daily life to look like in 2017?
What daily/quarterly/annual goals have I set for myself?
What daily steps will I take to accomplish my goals?
Who/What will support me in accomplishing my goals?
What will I do when I get off track and feel discouraged from accomplishing my goals?
What will I do to celebrate when I accomplish my daily/quarterly/annual goals?
Lastly, although we may try to, we can’t do everything by ourselves all the time. I have learned to seek help because it helps with managing my stress level. It’s a hard but very important task. Asking for help doesn’t mean we are weak. It means we are strong enough to recognize when we need an extra hand to get things done. In the spirit of my Cabo Verdean roots and the wisdom that my grandmother always reminds me of, "it takes a village or community of people to help us be successful in most things we do. No one can do it alone."
Let 2017 be our best year yet! Let’s focus on what makes us happy and fulfilled while staying the course in taking inventory on our current dreams and future plans.
Until next time…
Cesaria Evora and Other Afternoon Shenanigans: My Day with Cabo Verde's Royalty
I wrote this post in 2010, immediately after visiting Cesaria at her home in our native, Sao Vicente. She had just woken up from a nap. Like most Kriolus, I miss her everyday and I thank her for bringing our tiny island nation to the hearts and ears of the world. Rest in power, Cize.
The coolest part of my day was going over Cesaria Evora’s house and sitting by her feet while she was talking to me and my sisters. She asked about our family background for reference sake (she knew my family since we live so close). I was able to walk around and see all her platinum and gold albums as well as pictures and awards that she’s received throughout the years. I asked her if she could live anywhere (besides Cape Verde) in the world she said, “right here in Cabo Verde, LOL!” She looks healthy and seems to be resting….although I wish she would quit the smoking. Later that afternoon I also listened in quietly on my sister’s conversation with internationally recognized artists, composer Vasco Martins and painter Tchale Figueira. They discussed art, music and cultural identity as it relates to their own personal art. Tchale lives two doors down from us while Cesaria lives about a 2 minute walk!
So I was complaining to my husband that I didn’t want to go to the night clubs while I am home anymore because all they play is foreign music like european techno or Angolan Kuduro with some spotting of Cape Verdean or Antilles zouk. It becomes the same mundane crap every night. Can you believe the clubs don’t start popping until 2:30am here in S. Vicente??!! I am not saying I am old or nothing but dang, where can I go to find some decent danceable music around 11pm or midnight? On the positive side, it’s very easy to go to the local hotel or bar to listen to local and international artists play live traditional music. That is a treat that is on the rise here in the city of Mindelo. I think more and more, our culture is appreciated by our own people. I was starting to think that only foreigners appreciated our music and culture. I guess we were waiting for the international stamp of approval…or something!
Caught Between Two Places: Reflections From An Airplane Above the Atlantic
I have been back from Cape Verde for a month and only now have I had the courage to sit and pen down my thoughts. It’s been quite a hectic month full of relocations and new beginnings. One can say it’s been, at the least, overwhelming. I arrived from Cape Verde to my parents’ home in Providence, then relocated to my new home and started a new teaching position. So my life in the last few weeks has been full of transitions. Meanwhile, I had placed all the feelings I’d been experiencing on hold as I dealt with more pressing family and professional matters like unpacking, address changes, matriculating my son at the new school, completing my syllabi and numerous faculty meetings. So today, right now, I will address these feelings on paper for the first time.
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This entry’s title speaks to these feelings that I have had over the last 20 years but really did not know how to conceptualize them. I normally visit Cape Verde for about three to four weeks at a time, every other year. The first week or so, everything is a bit strange. The second week, I get used to being there but by the fourth week, I feel as if am truly home and part of the community. This includes running errands around town for my grandma or just sitting at the beach bar for hours, people watching, without a sense of urgency that I must go sightseeing or anything of the sort. By the time I feel this way, like I am truly “home”, it is time to leave and come back to my life in the United States. So in the fifth week, I am pulled and uprooted from a life that I truly love, to return to another life that I also truly love. When I get back to the US, it usually takes a couple of months for me to get back to some normalcy, feeling like I belong once again to the American society. I go through feelings of sodade, a very deep nostalgic feeling of homesickness understood only by those whose homeland is different from where they now reside.
For the past twenty years, I have been doing this back and forth between my country of origin and my country of residence; a back and forth between two lives that I truly love, feeling torn, not wanting to loose neither; hence, the title of this entry, caught between two places. When I am at home in Cape Verde, I do not feel one hundred percent me, because there is this undeniable American dimension to me, for which I appreciate and am thankful. However, when I am in the US, I also do not feel one hundred percent whole, because I do not have my entire family and what is familiar to me, what is peaceful and what is simple. I miss being around my aunts who are my mentors, my cousins who look like me and my grandmother who blesses me with infinite wisdom. In the US, I also live another airplane ride from my parents, siblings, and the Cape Verdean community. So there is an additional dimension to my sodade. Don’t get me wrong, am thankful for my husband and our son. However, the “whole” of me always feels incomplete without all of the pieces mentioned above. In the end, the best way to describe my feelings over the past twenty years is like I am suspended in the air, on an airplane flying over the Atlantic, not really sure whether to land at Boston Logan International Airport or the Amilcar Cabral International Airport in Praia, Cape Verde.
I Learned Today That My Grandmother Loved Mini-Skirts!!
This will probably be my last entry prior to my departure to the United States next week.
I Learned Today That My Grandmother Loved Mini-Skirts!!
Today I met with Dona Maninha. This was one of the most important conversations I have had in my life. I went through obstacles courses and scavenger hunts to find her residence but I found her through about 9 people. You see, Dona Maninha was very good friends with my paternal grandmother, whom I never met because she passed on when my father was young. Currently, I am the same age my grandmother was when she passed away. The circumstances of her life and death were too painful so my father has had a hard time discussing her with me. I know very little about her life beyond that she was gorgeous (from the pictures I have of her) and that all loved her. Last week, I decided that I would learn about this woman whose name I share and who has marked my father’s life. My grandma was the godmother to Dona Maninha’s daughter. They were very good friends. My objective was to create memories of my grandmother that, instead of pain and death, included happy moments and real day-to-day situations she lived. So I went on a quest to learn about her life through her friends. What I have learned thus far: she would have been in her late 70s (and if we know anything about CV women, that is pretty young). She was friendly, soft spoken, very pretty and sophisticated, wouldn’t hurt a fly, trusting, laughed and smiled a lot, worked at the cafeteria of a local soccer team, her and my dad were VERY close since they only had each other, she spoiled him and treated him like a little king and he did the same with her even as a young boy, she supplemented her income by crocheting and doing other needle-work which helped put my dad through school. She loved music, dancing, and mini-skirts.
Allowing Life Transitions To Take Place
I have visited home every couple of years or so since my family decided to immigrate to the United States 20 years ago. From all of my visits to Cape Verde, this was probably the most significant one. Of course, the time I met my husband in 2005 was extremely important but as a Cape Verdean woman this was by far the most enlightening experience. I say this because I have been on a quest to find my cultural identity and my place within my family’s history. In this quest to define myself, I met several people by chance, some of them “regular” people (i.e. Dona Maninha, 80 year-old-mother of 9, and my grandmother), and others, famous painters (Tchale Figueira), singers (Cesaria Evora), and writers (Germano Almeida). All these people have helped me somewhat place myself in this world and my role as a Cape Verdean woman, professional, wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, etc but not in this same order but all equally important. My trips to CV have now transitioned from me as a young woman who comes home to party at night and hit the beaches during the day to me as an adult woman who can still do all that but lives a purposeful life which includes family and the pursuit of cultural identity through history so that the present and the future can make more sense. Each day, I feel like I know my purpose in this world a bit more. I don’t claim to know it all but conversing with all these people who are full of wisdom has opened my eyes to the past, the present, and how to tackle the future. Until my next post….
Cabo Verde: A Lovely Contradiction…
This Post is a little longer because although we only spent one night on the island, the vast experiences were absolutely worthy of mentioning!
Cabo Verde: A Lovely Contradiction…
Maybe I am biased because I was born and raised here but Cape Verde has to be one of the loveliest contradictions I have ever come across. On Monday, I was on a 4-hour tour around the mountainous island of Santo Antão and tomorrow I am headed to Ponte D’Agua, a beachfront spa to enjoy an hour massage by the pool with my friends. For those of you who have never experienced these islands, you must do so and SOON!!!
I decided to take my “American” friends to Santo Antão for them to experience another island, very different than my native São Vicente. São Vicente is considered the cultural gateway of Cape Verde with great restaurants, a vibrant night life, cultural events during the day, nightly live traditional music at every bar and hotel and lots of local boutiques with clothing items from Europe, Brazil and the US. There is no shortage of Chinese stores as well with low cost and cheaply made products for everyone to afford. I will not speak on the Chinese invasion of Cape Verde because 1) it will force me go into work mode as a political scientist and 2) I am not sure how I truly feel about it yet. At any rate, whatever you are able to find in the developed world, you can also find on this island.
Santo Antão: relax, release and contemplate on life’s simpler times
Santo Antão, on the other hand, is a haven for relaxation and natural beauty. Many parts of the island are still not explored and untouched by man. Once you take a 45-minute ferry ride from São Vicente, you arrive at Porto Novo and have the opportunity to get on a van that seats about 15-16 people and tour most of the island. Now, let me explain that I’d been to Santo Antão several times before. However, for the first I was able to REALLY see the island because I was with my friends and I wanted to show them the raw beauty of the second largest of Cape Verde’s islands. We enjoyed a long ride up and down the mountains, through different towns. From the port city of Porto Novo to Corda (coldest point on the island), Paúl (pronounced Puh-ool) and Ribeira Grande the scenery was just amazing. We stayed at Pedracin Village Hotel, which is a treasure in its own right. It’s hidden in a valley and absolutely relaxing with a pool, private residences resembling the island’s traditional homes made out of stone. Inside, however, the residences are like any other hotel room equipped with AC, hot water, sensual showers with see thru doors, etc. We were greeted by the resident peacock and with complimentary freshly made papaya juice and grogue (Cape Verdean rum). The pool was refreshing after the long and bumpy tour. The view…..I cannot explain it in words. You will have to experience it for yourself. Breathtaking is all I can say J
This experience reminded me of how small we really are as humans
During the ride we stopped in Paúl for lunch at Restaurant Morabeza for some traditional food. We experienced the savory flavor of several types of grilled fish and vegetables. For dessert we had mangoes and papayas that we picked ourselves. I was amidst SO many mango and papaya trees as well as sugar cane and surrounded by mountains. Before lunch, we sat right there on site and chewed on the sugar cane and ate the mangos. My sister was barefoot because she’s a free spirit. There was a stream of fresh water where we washed our hands and the fruits. I remember that everything around me was green. Green everywhere!! What I had almost forgotten to mention was the view during the ride up the mountains. It was quite surreal to think that a place like that existed in the world and that I was fortunate enough to experience it. Deep valleys filled with trees, water falls, cows, goats, sporadic homes and friendly residents and...Clouds! I was amidst the clouds! That is how high I actually was! My girlfriend captured it best when she said, “these mountains and this whole experience remind me of how small we actually are as humans!”
My encounter with the 80 year-old mother of 9
Santo Antão people are friendly! They waved and smiled when we drove by. The children were beautiful and the elders were full of wisdom. During one of our stops along the mountains, an 80 year-old woman, told me how she raised 9 children in that remote village in a small house with minimal money and food. She was carrying a bag of fresh fish that she’d just bought with borrowed money from a neighbor. Her children were older and only one lived with her. She had been sick and her son helped care for her but that work had been scarce. I gave her all the change I had (100 escudos: more or less 1 dollar), which can go a long way. Seconds later the whole gang I was travelling with pulled out their wallets and collected all their coins and gave them to her. She was given a good amount that should give her food for a few days. She was extremely thankful for us. She was teary-eyed when she grabbed my hand, blessed me and kissed my hand and thanked me for the money. She wished me health and courage so that I could work and be whatever I wanted to be in life. But most importantly she wished me happiness. At that point, everyone on the trip was pretty emotional. This encounter, I will probably never forget.
You need a ride? The Cape Verdean tradition of giving is still alive….
Lastly, I want to address the spirit of the people, regardless of island of origin. In a conversation with my “American” girlfriend, she addressed how she noticed that our tour driver as well as my uncle gave people rides when we were travelling. While on the tour, there was a family of three (a man, his girlfriend/wife and their child) was waiting on the side of the road in this remote region. Our driver stopped and asked if we didn’t mind giving them a ride to their town. We had space so we didn’t mind. They hopped on the van and we shared our water and cookies with them. We dropped them off in a town called Povoacon, about 15-20 minutes later. We said good-bye with a wave and smile. They smiled and thanked us. Later the same evening my uncle gave a woman a ride home, on our way back from dinner. My “American” girlfriend asked if the driver and my uncle knew those people. I told her no, they did not. She was puzzled and astonished that people still did that in this world. That people helped each other out without knowing each other. There’s something to be said for the population of these islands: for the most part people are humble, caring, supportive and friendly. I am proud to be a Cabo Verdiana! Until my next post….
I have arrived in S. Vicente, Cabo Verde, my homeland.
I have arrived in S. Vicente, Cabo Verde, my homeland. I have to say that it was a great feeling. Not as emotional as it has been in the past but nevertheless a great feeling. I think it’s because life circumstances has allowed me to see my grandmother more often and also my husband is no longer my long distance boyfriend J It was liberating to see my grandma, aunts, cousins, childhood friends and town people.
It felt great to get off the plane in the capital city of Praia and it also felt great to get off the plane in my own city of Mindelo. We had a few hours in Praia before boarding to my island so we were able to have an abbreviated tour of the city. It was like any other big city: busy with people, vehicles, stores and even road blocks because Portugal’s President was here in commemoration of Cape Verde’s 35th anniversary as an independent state. Yes, we did see him and his 15-car entourage, twice. Yesterday, my husband visited world-renowned Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora, who is resting after a cardiac related surgery. In contrast to other famous singers, Cesaria is very accessible to the locals when she’s home from tour. Her home is in the middle of the city where anyone, rich or poor can come by and say hello. She has an open door policy. While my husband was visiting, Cape Verde’s president Pedro Pires and first lady, Adelcia Pires stopped by to check up on Cise. My husband got a chance to visit with a famous singer, a nation’s president and the first lady. I am so mad I was taking a nap at the time!!!
So thus far we have gone to the beach everyday, ate all kinds of fish and other local delicacies like octopus, coconut and cheese desserts, local beer (STRELA), Juices, etc. Today we are going to the fish and vegetable markets as well as downtown to check out boutiques and other stores that speak volumes of globalization. In terms of goods, one can find anything here these days. From clothing to building materials, anything can be made or imported. The city of Mindelo’s nightlife is like no other. Everyday we have experienced different bars, lounges, restaurants as well as nightclubs.
Last night we went to Furnalha, a local restaurant. I ate grilled octopus with potatoes (amazing!) and the whole group experienced the best vegetarian pizza with peppers, tomatoes and corn! Furnalha had live traditional music. The crowd was a mix of locals and European tourists. The ambience was great as the restaurant was out in the open. We also went to a bar/lounge called Look, with eclectic sounds of techno, R&B and Hip Hop. It’s very contemporary. Caravela is one of the nightclubs that is happening right now. It’s beach front location is amazing! It has a bar upstairs and the massive dance club is downstairs. Great lighting, pool tables, happy people having lots of fun! This weekend, there’s no telling what will go on. There’s lots to do and lots of time to do it. Sunday we are headed to St. Antao Island that is a 45-minute boat ride from my island. Because of its mountainous and rural setting it will be a breath of fresh as well as a different environment from my island.
I will try to upload updates and pictures at least once a week. But there’s so much to do that sometimes time is of the essence. Until my next post…..