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The Causes of Cape Verde's Democratization
Analysis of a post-colonial democratic success story
January 4-18, 2022
Project title: A Colonial History Reclaimed: The Construction and Perpetuation of Cape Verde’s Unique Democratic Identity
Our project sought to discover the causes of Cape Verde's successful democratic transition and maintenance over the past 30 years. Cape Verde is a island nation located approximately 200 miles west of Senegal in the Atlantic Ocean. A country of 500,000 people, Cape Verde is notable for having experienced the longest continuous period of colonization in history: from 1462 to 1975, the country was a colony of Portugal. Many post-colonial countries have experienced high levels of political tumult and authoritarian governance, but Cape Verde stands as a clear exception. In the 2021 Democracy Index compiled by the Economist, Cape Verde ranked as the second-most democratic country in Africa. Additionally, the stability of Cape Verde's democratic governance since its democratization in 1991 has been even more distinct given the broader trend of democratic backsliding that has occurred over the past 15 years. Given Cape Verde's unique success in its democratic experiment, we were curious to discover which factors led both to the success of its initial democratization moment and the perpetuation of its democracy over the past 30 years.
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As seen in this map, Cape Verde (upper left) is among the few highly democratic countries in Africa, which is made all the more notable by its long colonial history.
Given the lack of academic research focusing on Cape Verde, we knew that conducting qualitative research would be the best means of reaching an answer to our research question. Hence, we conducted interviews with professors, journalists, politicians, and members of civil society to discern some of causes of Cape Verde's successful democratization. We conducted our research on three different islands: Santiago, the most populous island and home to the country's capital, Praia; Sao Vicente, home of the country's cultural capital and university town, Mindelo; and Santo Antao, the country's second-largest island by area.
Our highest-profile interview was with Harold Tavares, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister.
- Our research suggest that democratization analyses that proscribe rigid, immutable factors that either bolster or hinder a country’s chances of becoming more democratic are insufficiently capable of predicting of explaining democratization processes
- It is impossible to explain Cape Verde's democratic transition using traditional causal factors, though some features of the country's political identity and history listed below have played a role
- Cape Verde’s homogeneity, unified identity, and small size contributed to the success of its democracy by mitigating the ability of politicians to monopolize upon existing ethnic or cultural fault lines in society to amplify their own power
- Additionally, the role of certain individuals (such as Amilcar Cabral, who helped liberate the country from Portuguese colonial rule) in theorizing and actualizing a democratic vision for Cape Verde cannot be discounted;
- The story of the country's democratic transition from 1975-1990 is widely told and plays an integral part of Cape Verdean history, which helps maintain public support for democracy and encourages elites to abide by democratic norms and institutions.
- Several aspects of democracy are unique to Cape Verde geography and history:
- The country has a large diaspora (with more Cape Verdeans living outside the country than inside), and emigrants have long played a role in advocating for democracy in Cape Verde (especially Cape Verdeans immigrants to the US in the 1800s)
- As the country is composed of numerous islands, the political system has to fairly represent each island's unique interests and provide equitable voices to representatives from each island
An exhibit dedicated to Amilcal Cabral, a revolutionary leader who helped guide Cape Verde's quest for independence. His vision and philosophy served as a unifying message for Cape Verdeans throughout the country's initial democratization process.
Our trip to Cape Verde was a vastly illuminating experience for both of us. This was James' first visit to Africa and Nick's first visit to Sub-Saharan Africa. Nick, who is fluent in Portuguese, was able to practice his language skills and learn the differences between Brazilian Portuguese and Cape Verdean Portuguese. Despite being a small country, Cape Verde has a vibrant and lively culture that was unlike anything we had previously experienced. The tight-knit Cape Verdean community, where everyone seems to know each other, was a marked (and welcomed) difference from what we were used to in the US. We both departed from the experience with a newfound appreciation for a country few people have heard of and a desire to share the story of Cape Verde to a broader audience.
On our first night in Cape Verde, we were given an impromptu tour of Praia by a local guide, Danny (far left). He introduced us to Totinho (second from right), the former saxophonist for national hero Cesaria Evora.
Given the lack of academic focus on Cape Verde, we hope to submit the findings of our study to the Journal for Democracy or other preeminent publications focused on democratic analysis. We believe that democratization theory can too often be 'deterministic' by focusing on the presence of specific factors deemed helpful or inhibitory to democratic flourishing (such as the presence of strong institutions, the presence of oil, etc). Cape Verde clearly demonstrates that traditional analysis is not limited by which factors it states are necessary or sufficient for democratic growth, but rather that it believes democracies arise through such causally deterministic processes. It is through human will and determination that Cape Verde has sustained its democracy, and we were inspired by our studies to spread this finding as far as we can.
A map of some of the locations we visited in Cape Verde.