I WAS in Cabo Verde this past week; “Cape Vert” to us English-speakers. If that still doesn’t ring a bell, then suffice to say that it is just off the African continent, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the same way that Fiji, Tonga and Nauru are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on our side of the world.
Cabo Verde has a population of less than 600,000 — roughly the same number as Luxembourg and slightly more than the more well-known Maldives.
Many “Verdians”, as the citizens are known, live abroad and remit money back to the country.
For many years, this has been a major source of income for the country. That, and tourism.
You would be surprised by the number of holiday packages on offer for Cabo Verde.
When I invited my British friends to come and visit me in Dakar, they asked me how far Senegal was from Cabo Verde.
The reason? Because there is a direct flight to the island of Sal in Cabo Verde from Gatwick which is forever on offer.
For tourists from the United Kingdom, Portugal and the East Coast of the United States, it is easier to hop onto a plane from Gatwick, Lisbon and Boston to Cabo Verde, than it is to get to the rest of continental Africa.
Plus, the white sandy beaches of Cabo Verde and the availability of secluded resort islands make the island nation much more attractive to the non-Asians who like to lounge around and tan under the sun.
But Cabo Verde is so much more than just beachfront property, as I found out during one of my forays into the interior island of Santiago. Once you venture inland, you would find that most of the islands are hilly in nature, and some of these “hills” afford you some of the most breathtaking views possible.
Imagine taking one of the excellent but winding roads up the mountains then stopping at strategic points — on one side you would be able to see the Atlantic Ocean spread out as far as the eye can see; on the other you would be standing majestically overlooking lush vegetation as the area between one mountain and another gives way to deep valleys and fertile terrain.
There are 10 islands in all that make up the country of Cabo Verde. All of the islands are known as volcanic islands, but only one or two volcanoes are still active these days.
One of the islands — the Pico do Fogo — boasts one of the best coffee beans in the region. In order to really appreciate the coffee, you would need to buy the coffee beans as is, then roast it yourself, then grind it to the consistency you want, before putting it into the machine for a perfect brew.
Or, you can just buy some off the shelf.
Before I arrived in Praia, the capital city of the country, I assumed that Verdians would be a confused lot. After all, there they were in the middle of the Atlantic, speaking Portuguese when the closest countries on mainland Africa all spoke French.
But when I arrived, I found that the Verdians were very clear of who and what they were. Even though their appearance vastly differed from person to person in terms of their skin colour (ranging from a nice Bahamian brown to the lighter-skinned European look), they were proud to be Verdians.
They speak Portuguese, yes — but also a smattering of French and some of the older ones and those in the hospitality business speak English.
Mainly they speak Creole — that language that reminded me of New Orleans with its sugar-dusted beignets and jazz music.
To those linguists out there who will then tell me that Creole is not really a language on its own, I will need to qualify this.
Verdians speak Portuguese Creole, which is a pidgin language derived from Portuguese and made wholly their own as native to Cabo Verde.
My visit to Praia was not wholly recreational, so I was able to glean some information about the Verdian economy and politics. Someone from the Ministry of Social Inclusion told me that even though many Verdians were poor, their gender equality gap was quite small.
Women — especially in politics — were almost as influential as their male counterparts, with women making up about 25 per cent of the national legislature. Just as a comparison, the World Bank puts Malaysia’s percentage at just above 14 per cent.
The Verdians hope to increase this percentage to 30 per cent in the next elections, which is scheduled for 2021.
If ever I had a bucket list, Cabo Verde would have definitely been on it. Fortunately, I can cross off this beautiful, idyllic island-nation from that imaginary list now.
The writer is a foreign service officer and an honorary research fellow of the University of Sheffield, the United Kingdom. These days, she writes primarily on international affairs, with particular emphasis on Africa