50th anniversary of Cape Verdean independence

The smells of bacalhau, a salt cod and mashed potato casserole, and the rhythms of the txabéta drum filled the Martha’s Vineyard Museum on Sept. 13. More than a hundred people gathered for the celebration: “Cape Verdean Experience — Amílcar Cabral — Freedom, Resistance, and Rhythm.” 

Cape Verdeans, hailing from the archipelago of volcanic islands off the coast of West Africa, started coming to the Vineyard and New Bedford seeking work, particularly in the booming whaling and fishing industries of the 19th and early 20th century. When the whaling industry declined, many worked in agriculture, using the farming skills they had brought with them. Saturday’s event celebrated the 50th anniversary of Cape Verdean independence by honoring the freedom fighter Amílcar Cabral, and hearing from three freedom fighters who were on the ground helping in the U.S. 

Carleen Cordwell, a New Bedford native and Vineyard resident, second-generation Cape Verdean American, and lifelong advocate for empowerment, entrepreneurship, and inclusion, moderated the evening. “Today we take a journey through the hidden pathways and networks and the sacrifices that carried the struggle for independence for Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde,” she said. Working off the historical and statistical information researched by Margaret Mott, Cordwell presented a detailed history of the freedom movement starting in the early 1950s that revealed the worldwide support for Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau’s independence. Once achieved, she explained, “The diaspora communities worldwide sent delegates, aid, and returning migrants to help build a nation.”

Tem Blessed, a hip-hop artist and youth advocate born in Guinea-Bissau to Cape Verdean parents, gave us a history of Cabral: “In his youth, he witnessed famine, drought, and deep poverty. These experiences were not forgotten. They became the soil in which his political consciousness was planted.” In 1956, Cabral co-founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). The PAIGC’s goal was the liberation of both Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde from Portuguese colonial rule, which had started in the 15th century. Blessed said, “At first the movement supported peaceful protest, but after Portuguese authorities brutally suppressed strikes in 1960, Cabral concluded that the colonial system could not be reformed or persuaded; it had to be dismantled.”

The PAIGC launched an armed struggle in 1963. “Cabral became not only a revolutionary leader but a strategist for liberation, which we all must become,” Blessed continued. “Victory would not come through military strength alone, but political education, rural mobilization, and culture … In areas where Portuguese control had been pushed out, his movement set up schools, clinics, and systems of self-governance. These were not just symbols, but living examples of independence … Cabral’s vision of culture, dignity, equity, and equality is what made him stand apart. Yet, on Jan. 20, 1973, before independence could be declared in 1975, Cabral was assassinated.” Blessed concluded, “His light still guides us today, and let us honor him not only with our words, but our actions.”

Antonio Gonsalves Jr., second-generation Cape Verdean activist and educator, who worked alongside the PAIGC, greeted the crowd and told them, “The first president of Cape Verde and first struggle leader [in the armed fight in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde] were both commanders of mine at one time.” Gonsalves’ grandson, Xavier, told us about the organization Gonsalves co-founded with other Cape Verdeans in 1969 — the Three Pyramids, which worked with the poor. “My grandfather,” Xavier said with his hand on Gonsalves’ arm, “was somebody who stood up for what he believed to fight for the message that he knew in his heart was true. To him, it was the liberation of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.”

Second-generation Cape Verdean American Yvonne Smart shared stories about her activism through the Cape Verdean American Federation, which she helped form. The federation set about preserving culture, providing social services, advocating for its community’s needs, and supporting the fight for Cape Verdean freedom. Smart is a single mother with three children, and many of the meetings took place at her home in Providence, as it was easier for everyone to come to her than to find a babysitter. “We were clandestine because we weren’t always that popular in the Cape Verdean community. Many people wanted independence, but didn’t want us aligned with Africa.”

Salahudin Matteos came to the crowd via Zoom, connecting the diaspora to the liberation movement. He told the story about how Malcom X returned from Africa and shared news of the armed struggle with him. After Matteos met with Gonsalves, they together formed the PAIGC Support Committee USA to continue spreading information and gathering support for the independence of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.

Other presenters included Cape Verdean poet Iva Brito, who shared poems about her Cape Verdean roots and who she is as a Creola woman. Candida Rose Baptista, a second-generation Cape Verdean American, vocalist, and scholar, played the txabéta drum, and explained that a women-led polyrhythmic tradition of song, dance, and spoken word became another vessel of resistance. She chanted while playing, “A melody could whisper, ‘Come together,’ or shout, ‘The struggle continues!’ … These words could be sung in a celebration hidden in plain sight. Because the songs were woven into daily life, into joy, into labor, and into ritual, they could not be silenced. They blended resistance with rhythm.”

After the presentations, music played as guests enjoyed the food and mingled with the vendors, including jeweler Alzerina Gomes and cookbook author and artist Colleen Pina Garron. Amid the hubbub, third-generation Cape Verdean American John Cruz reflected, “I’m educated. I went to college, but I’m finding out how little I know about Cape Verde and its history. I’ve always heard about the struggle of Amíl and what he had to do, but this just elevates my pride and fortitude. When you look at what people suffered and overcame, the resiliency and persistence of the freedom fighters and my father all derive from the resilience of the people. I’m coming away with a light heart and a smile on my face.”