Oltre un nome tanto ingannevole: Capo Verde tra fonti storiche e poesia contemporanea

Abstract

 The Portuguese arrival at the Cape Verde archipelago and the subsequent settlement of the islands gave rise to a unique experiment in cultural fusion in the history of maritime exploration. The challenges faced by the initial settlers, both voluntary European colonists and forcibly displaced African slaves, are reflected in the rich cultural expressions of the Cape Verdean people. This article begins its examination by focusing on poetic production, engaging in a dialogue with one of its primary sources of inspiration: the history of the formation and development of the Cape Verdean nation. Through a series of more or less explicit references, it becomes apparent that national poetry often serves as a cathartic attempt to rewrite the country’s history, reappropriating it and ascribing new meaning to a past marked by slavery, famine, and forced migration. The poetry of the 20th century is analyzed in a reflective interplay with historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, aiming to elucidate the full philological scope of a specific rewriting process: the redefinition of Cape Verdean identity beyond the confines of the centuries-old colonial narrative.