Emigration and the Diaspora in Cabo Verde -18 & 19th centuries
The Genesis of Emigration and the Diaspora in Cabo Verde
The initial waves of emigration were direct survival responses to the catastrophic famine cycles, establishing the fundamental relationship between crisis and mobility in the Cabo Verdean experience.
The American Whaling Connection (The "Voluntary" Exodus)
Beginning in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, American whaling ships, particularly those hailing from New England ports like New Bedford, Massachusetts, began using Cabo Verde as a crucial stop for supplies and to recruit crewmen. As the islands faced mounting poverty and starvation, joining a whaler became one of the few viable avenues for survival, especially for young men from the islands of Brava and Fogo. Cabo Verdean men were highly valued by Yankee captains as disciplined, hardworking, and honest seamen who could be hired for less pay than American sailors.
After long, arduous voyages, many of these men would disembark in New England, primarily in New Bedford and Providence, laying the foundation for the first major diaspora community in the United States. This migration is historically significant as it represents one of the first groups of people of African descent to make the transatlantic journey voluntarily to the Americas seeking a better life, a choice made under duress of ecological and colonial neglect.
The diaspora later fostered its own essential transnational link through the Packet Boat Trade. Enterprising Cabo Verdean immigrants bought old sailing vessels, converting them into "packet boats" to establish regular, self-controlled transit between New England and the islands. These vessels brought supplies and new immigrants to the U.S. and, critically, transported food, clothes, and money (remittances) back to family members suffering from the devastating effects of drought and famine. This self-reliance in organizing passage and aid underscored the deep family and communal bonds that transcended the Atlantic. This initial migration on whalers and the subsequent packet boat trade has taken on a near-mythical status, often seen as a "narrative of the creation of the ever-departing Cape Verdean," where the pioneers are celebrated as cultural heroes for their resourcefulness in finding a path to survival.
The Migration to São Tomé and Príncipe (The "Forced" Exodus)
Simultaneously, the Portuguese colonial administration created a parallel, darker stream of migration by coercing, or "contracting," Cabo Verdeans to work on the cocoa and coffee plantations of their other colonies, primarily the fertile islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. This destination became a dreaded, last-resort measure against starvation.
Although officially contract labor, in the collective memory of Cabo Verdeans, this migration is bitterly "compared to slavery" and is symbolically linked to intense suffering. Workers faced brutal conditions, abuse, and extremely low wages, often viewed by historians as a means for the Portuguese to circumvent the abolition of slavery. The memory of this painful forced journey is immortalized in evocative cultural expressions, such as the morna "Sodad" (Saudade) and the song "Camin di San Tomé" (The Way to São Tomé), which chronicle the hunger and the dreaded departure.
Furthermore, Cabo Verdeans on the plantations occupied an ambiguous and difficult racial position. The colonial administration sometimes fostered a sense of cultural and racial distinction between the mestiço Cabo Verdeans and workers from mainland African colonies (Angola, Mozambique), placing them in an intermediate, often conflicted role within the rigid racialized colonial hierarchy.
The Enduring Diaspora and Its Impact
The emigration of the 19th century was not an anomaly but the start of a deep-seated cultural phenomenon that defines the nation to this day.
A Survival Strategy to a National Identity: Emigration evolved from a desperate response to famine into an intrinsic part of the Cabo Verdean identity and lifestyle—the trope of departure and leaving nha terra (my homeland) is a foundational narrative. This "culture of migration," born from chronic necessity, has shaped the nation's collective psyche.
A "Nation Beyond Borders": Today, it is estimated that three times as many Cabo Verdeans live abroad as on the islands themselves. The nation is often described as a transnational entity, one that endures beyond its physical boundaries, held together by blood ties and shared history.
Economic Reliance on Remittances: The early practice of sending back barrels of food evolved into a critical economic foundation. The Cabo Verdean economy remains heavily dependent on remittances (money sent home by emigrants), which fund consumption, housing, and social mobility, making the diaspora the single most important economic factor for the archipelago.
Cultural Transnationalism: The diaspora maintains active and passive connections through frequent travel, communication, and robust cultural exchange. This transnational network not only provides economic stability but also enriches the homeland, as the diaspora's successes in fields like music, sports, and politics are celebrated as a source of powerful national pride. The modern Cabo Verdean identity is thus a fluid, Atlantic identity, perpetually negotiating the space between the difficult reality of the home islands and the aspirational promise of the world beyond.