Footsteps articles from September 2001

Footsteps archives from September 2001

SMALL ISLANDS IN A DEEP OCEAN.(facts about Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... The archipelago, or "chain of many islands," that makes up the Republic of Cape Verde lies in a unique spot in the Atlantic Ocean roughly 370 miles west northwest of Dakar, Senegal, the westernmost point of mainland Africa. The location of...

Did You Know?(famous people who have stopped in Cape Verde; why Portugal sent Jews to Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... * In A.D. 1478, Pope Sixtus IV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, authorized the Spanish Inquisition. This court's purpose was to discover and punish people whose religious opinions and beliefs were contrary to the teachings of the church....

The `Trading People' Center.(slavery in Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... Almost all ancient and medieval societies practiced slavery. So, too, did all European, Arab, and African ruling classes at the time Portuguese navigators first landed on the Cape Verde Islands. In an effort to develop and colonize the Cape...

WINDS OF CHANGE BRING INDEPENDENCE.(Portugal gives Cape Verde Islands independence in 1975)
September 1, 2001... Following the end of World War II in 1945, an anticolonial movement began blowing the "winds of change" across Africa. In Cape Verde, a few people refused to watch most of Africa become decolonized (free of the European powers that had...

THE ROAD TO DEMOCRACY.(government changes in Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... For some government officials, the move toward democracy in Cape Verde was proceeding too slowly. It seemed to them as if the PAICV was determined to keep its party in control. They also disapproved of the punishment given those who disagreed...

KRIOLU IS MORE THAN A LANGUAGE.(Creole language spoken in Cape Verde Islands)
September 1, 2001... Kriolu is probably the oldest of the Creole languages. It emerged in the 1400s as a result of the Portuguese slave trade along the western coast of Africa. While Kriolu shares several linguistic and historical similarities with other...

Learn a Few Words in Kriolu.(language of Cape Verde Islands)
September 1, 2001... Balai: big basket Balanbuta: large butterfly Bolonbolu: zucchini Katxupa: popular Cape Verdean dish made from corn Konta dodju (or sibitxi): a black amulet (charm) with random white spots. Amulets are believed to protect a...

A Strong Literature for a Strong People.(Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... In 1956, a novel titled O Escravo ("The Slave") was discovered in Angola. It had been written in 1856, more than 200 years after slaves were brought from West Africa to Cape Verde to be baptized before being shipped to the Americas and the...

Is Your Naviu Ready?(celebrating St. John the Baptist feast day in Cape Verde Islands)
September 1, 2001... On the northern island of Sac Vicente, a traditional summer celebration takes place every June 24, on the feast day of St. John the Baptist. A large wooden model of a fully rigged sailing ship (a "naviu") is constructed, with a hole in the...

DANCE TO THE MUSIC.(of Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... Although the Cape Verde Islands may have few natural resources, the islands are rich in cultural traditions. Of these, Cape Verdean music and dance are some of the most vibrant. Since Cape Verdeans have roots in both Europe and West Africa,...

KUSE, KUSE?(humor of Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... Jokes, riddles, proverbs, and folktales are part of Cape Verde's rich folkloric tradition. Although a few have been put into print, Cape Verdean folklore has, in general, been transmitted orally (one person telling another person) from one...

NHO LOBO FINDS A COW.(Cape Verde story)(Short Story)
September 1, 2001... Nho Lobo was always hungry. Whenever he found food, he began eating and did not stop until every morsel was consumed. As he ate, Nho Lobo would say he was eating for his mother, for his father, for his wife. Nho Lobo was also lazy and...

NHO LOBO AND THE GUINEA FOWL.(Short Story)
September 1, 2001... Nho Lobo was walking down the road when he saw a lame guinea fowl. "Look what has fallen in my path," he thought. He caught the bird and put it in a cage in his courtyard. On the day he decided to eat it, he reached into the cage....

VENTURING TO AMERICA.(how and why Cape Verde residents left the islands)
September 1, 2001... Severe drought conditions caused famine and many deaths in the Cape Verde Islands in the late 1700s. Unable to escape overland, young Cape Verdeans looked for opportunities to leave home by sea. When New England whaling ships began arriving...

The Packet Ship Ernestina.(history)
September 1, 2001... The Ernestina has had a long and varied career. Its history begins in 1894 when it was built at the James and Tart shipyard in Gloucester, Massachusetts, as a Grand Banks fishing vessel. Originally named the Effie M. Morrissey, in honor of the...

New Bedford Whaling Museum.(documents show involvement of immigrants from Cape Verde in local whaling industry)
September 1, 2001... The population of Cape Verdean Americans in New Bedford, Massachusetts, can be traced directly to the American whaling industry. Cape Verde was one of several ports along the Atlantic route where whaleships stopped for fresh water and supplies....

From Dropout to U.S. District Judge.(life of George N. Leighton, who descended from immigrants from Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1912, George N. Leighton was the son of Cape Verdean immigrants Anna Silva Garcia and Antonio Leitao. (Teachers at George's school spelled his last name as it sounded in English: "Leighton.") A hardworking...

A Minister to Thousands.(Bishop Grace, formerly of Cape Verde, founds United House of Prayer for All People)
September 1, 2001... Bishop Grace, also known as "Sweet Daddy" Grace, founded the United House of Prayer for All People and, by the late 1930s, had hundreds of congregations across the United States, with an estimated half million followers. Born Marceline Manoel...

Determined To Teach.(Belmira Nunes Lopes, daughter of Cape Verde immigrants, becomes a successful teacher)
September 1, 2001... Belmira Nunes Lopes was born in East Harwich, Massachusetts. In the late 1800s, her father, Luis Nunes Monteiro, came to the United States from the island of Fogo on a whaling ship. Her mother, Maria Neves Leitao, was a young widow when she...

Success Through Education.(Nancy Adnrade Reid, African American woman school superintendent)
September 1, 2001... Nancy Andrade Reid was born and raised in East Wareham, Massachusetts. Her grandmother was born on the island of Brava and her grandfather on the island of Fogo. In 1960, Reid graduated valedictorian from Wareham High School. In college she...

A `Germany' in the Family.(singer Perry Lee Tavares)
September 1, 2001... One of 10 children, Perry Lee "Tiny" Tavares was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1949. Of Cape Verdean descent, his grandparents immigrated to the United States at different times between 1908 and 1915. As a boy, Tiny and his four...

A Common Thread.(families from Cape Verde)
September 1, 2001... For more than two centuries, Cape Verdeans and Cape Verdean Americans have been part of the colorful fabric that has made up the great American quilt. The Barboza brothers are descendants of Cape Verdean immigrants from the islands of...

Building a Mastru.(Cape Verde tradition)
September 1, 2001... Cape Verdeans celebrate many festivals throughout the year. Some, such as Christmas and New Year's Day, are common to all the islands, while others are observed only on certain islands. Although many have a connection to the Roman Catholic...