Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By the late 1980s there were increasing calls for a multiparty democracy, and in 1990
the PAICV acquiesced, allowing lawyer Carlos Veigo to found the Movimento para a
Democracia (MPD). With a centre-right policy of political and economic liberalisation,
the MPD swept to power in the 1991 elections. Privatisation and foreign investment - es-
pecially in tourism - brought only slow results, however, and in 2001 the PAICV re-
claimed power and Pedro Pires became president.
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Culture
If you arrive from mainland Africa, the lack of hustle among Cape Verdeans will likely
come as a welcome relief. While they are gregarious, you may catch a whiff of a certain
distance, even clannishness, due in part to the islands' isolation from the mainland and
from each other. The European legacy is more marked here than in most parts of
Portuguese-speaking Africa, yet Cape Verdeans will tell you their Crioulo culture is - at
its core - African, citing especially their food and music. More recently, the huge expatri-
ate community in the US has had an effect on attitudes, including a growing evangelical
community and a general infatuation with the US.
Except for a small class of business owners and professionals who live like their
Western counterparts, life in Cape Verde is not easy. Terraced farms require enormous ef-
fort and arid weather keeps yields small. While the infrastructure, from roads to water, is
rapidly modernising, you will see women and children toting water from common wells.
A high percentage of households consists of single mothers with children, a legacy of
male-only emigration patterns that dates to the 18th century.
Cape Verde boasts by far the highest GDP per capita (US$3900) in West Africa. The
country's literacy rate of 84% is also the highest in the region. Virtually all children of
primary-school age attend school, though attendance at secondary schools is considerably
lower.
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People
Based on the UN's Africa Human Development Report 2012, Cape Verde comes out on
top in West Africa. From 1975 to 2011, life expectancy leapt from 46 years to 74 years,
far higher than the sub-Saharan African average. The country also has one of the lowest
population-growth rates in the region. It's the only country in West Africa with a popula-
