Cape Verde National Independence

CAPE VERDE NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues, my fellow Rhode Islanders, and our Cape Verdean community in celebration of Cape Verde Independence Day.

Every country is rich with its own history and unique story of how it achieved democracy, and Cape Verde is no exception.
In 1462, Portuguese settlers arrived at Santiago and founded the first permanent European settlement city in the tropics. In 1951, Portugal changed Cape Verde's status from a colony to an overseas province in an attempt to blunt growing nationalism. Five years later, a group of Cape Verdeans, led by Amilcar Cabral, and a group from neighboring Guinea-Bissau organized the clandestine African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, PAIGC, demanding improvements in economic, social, and political conditions in Cape Verde and Portuguese Guinea. This important action formed the basis of the 2 nations' independence movements.

By 1972, the PAIGC controlled much of Portuguese Guinea despite the presence of the Portuguese troops, but did not disrupt Portuguese control in Cape Verde. It was not until the April 1974 revolution in Portugal that the PAIGC and Portugal signed an agreement providing for a transitional government composed of Portuguese and Cape Verdeans. On June 30, 1975, Cape Verdeans elected a national assembly, which received the instruments of independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975, making it the official national day of independence.

For its first 15 years of independence, Cape Verde was ruled by one party. Then in 1990, opposition groups came together to form the Movement for Democracy. Working together they ended the 1-party state and the first multi-party elections were held in January 1991.

Cape Verde enjoys a stable democratic system where 4 parties share seats in the National Assembly. It is an example to other nations as to what can be accomplished. These democratic changes meant better global integration as the government has pursued market-oriented economic policies and welcomed foreign investors.

Today there are close to 350,000 Cape Verdean-Americans living in the United States, almost equal to the population of Cape Verde itself. These Americans hold a special right since the Cape Verdean Constitution formally considers all Cape Verdeans at home and abroad as citizens and voters. Thus, July 5th is a day of independence for all Cape Verdean-Americans as well as those in Cape Verde.

Recently we celebrated the independence of our own country, reflecting on the personal sacrifices many have made to ensure our own freedom and democracy. It is fitting we do the same with Cape Verde and I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing all those with direct and ancestral ties to Cape Verde a happy Independence Day.