Cape Verdean-American Culture
Nicole Spieler
21 Islands and Islets
9 Islands- Main body of Cape Verde
History
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1462 – A Portuguese explored
visited uninhabited islands of
Cape Verde and began to settle there
1501 – 1600 - Cape Verde is the shipping center for the slave
trade
1701 – 1800 - U.S. whaling ships recruited crews from islands
1709 – 1807 - A minimum of 106, 544 slaves were carried in 934
known Rhode Island slave voyages
1773 – People started selling themselves as slaves onboard
foreign ships due to one of the worst famines
1807 - U.S. formally prohibited slave trade
1832 – Severe famine caused ten percent of the population to die
in Cape Verde
History Continued
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1863 – Famine again killed nearly a third of the population
1888 – Earliest attempt of a written alphabet
1917 – Newcomers required to demonstrate an ability to
read and write by passing a literacy test administered by
immigration authorities upon arrival
1920 – Another major famine killed about 30,000 people
1922 – Restrictions were introduced and emigration to
America was reduced, it also deterred Cape Verdean
Americans from visiting Cape Verde in fear of not being
allowed back into the U.S.
1924 – Cape Verdeans harvested about nine-tenths of the
Cape Cod cranberry crop
1930s – During the Great Depression an average of 50% of
the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Cape Verdean labor force
was unemployed
History Continued
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1966 – American Emigration rules relaxed and started to
pick up pace again
1975 – Cape Verde islands finally gain independence from
Portugal
1980 – U.S. Census made a “Cape Verdean” response for the
question of ancestry
1982 – U.S. provided emergency humanitarian aid to the
island in Brava after a hurricane
1995 – U.S. provided emergency humanitarian aid to the
island in Fogo after a volcanic eruption
1995 – 1997 President and Prime Minister of Cape Verde
visited Cape Verdean American communities in New England
during official trips to the United States
Values, Norms & Worldview
FAMILY
 Connection to
homeland
 Community
relationships
 Identity
 Hard Workers
 Religion
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“Americanization”
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“There is some conflict present for them that
may be due to the struggles to acculturate – that
is, trying to ‘Americanize’ while confronted with
familial, social, and peer pressure to adhere to the
traditional Cape Verdean values and roles”
(Andrade, 1996, p.99)
Identity
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“The sufferings of drought and famine are central
to Cape Verdeans’ sense of identity and have
given them a view of their country as inextricable
bound to poverty” (Carling, 2009, p.134).
Census
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There is an estimated 300,000 to 500,000
Cape Verdeans living in the United States
However, the 2000 Census only shows that
there are 77,103 Cape Verdeans living in the
United States.
Massachusetts – 58.5% of Cape Verdean-Americans
◦ 17.6% living below poverty level
◦ New Bedford, MA – 10%
 32.6% living below poverty level
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Rhode Island – 20.4%
◦ 20.7% living below poverty level
Language
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Creole is the language used socially and
informally between Cape Verdeans and is
the preferred language to use by many
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Official Language of Cape Verde is
Portuguese
Quitodo
“poor thing”
 Private family matter
 The word and concept of “disability”
commonly used among service providers in the
US is negatively perceived by Cape Verdeans,
whereas the concept of “illness” or being
“sick” is not and therefore preferred.
 Mental illnesses are seen as mysterious and the
perception of someone who is depressed is that
one should “cheer up”
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Interview
Connection to Brava
Escola Materna Nossa Senhora da Graça
Counseling Interventions & Models
Genogram
 Household Drawing / Eco-map
 Stress Management
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Indigenous Providers
 Multicultural Competence
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Four Forces
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Psychodynamic
◦ Difficult approach to take with someone who
is Cape Verdean
◦ Highly Verbal
◦ Conscious about past and how it influences
their present thinking, feeling, and behavior
◦ Internally looks at client
◦ Culture is not taken into consideration
Four Forces
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Existential-Humanistic Approach
◦ Compatible in terms of religion and creating a
safe environment
◦ Trust Needed
◦ Highly Verbal
◦ Not a direct route
◦ Lengthy Process – not open with counseling
so this would impede in the process as well
Four Forces
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Cognitive-Behavioral
◦ Focuses on observable behaviors and
responses to life
◦ Short term
◦ Skill building
◦ Stress Management
◦ Client and counselor relationship critical for
change
Four Forces
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Multicultural
◦ Stresses how people develop multiple
identities
◦ Context of culture, society and history into
consideration
◦ Uses therapeutic strategies and techniques
that effectively, respectfully, and ethically with
people from diverse groups and backgrounds
Do’s and Don’ts
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Do’s
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Be respectful, open, and non-judgmental towards client
Discuss family and relationships
Discuss their work/work ethic
Discuss cultural events that they could attend
Be aware of the differences between generations and gender roles
Understand historical information
Don’ts
◦ Do not press issues that they clearly are not comfortable
discussing – trust might not get established if you do
◦ Refrain from asking directly why they came to counseling
◦ Make assumptions about history
◦ Do not exclude outside resources
◦ Do not use stereotypical terms
New Bedford Whaling Museum
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Cape Verdean Maritime Exhibit (July 2011)
◦ This exhibition will capture the essence of the
important connections between New Bedford
and Cape Verde, the unique characteristics of
Cape Verdean culture, and the special legacy
of that culture and history here in New
Bedford
“It is hard to appreciate the
value of life until you have come
from a place like I have”