Newspapers in Cape Verde
Cape Verde has no daily newspaper. Most important is the government-owned two-day newspaper Novo Jornal (edition: about 5,000 copies) and the opposition party PAICV’s weekly newspaper A Semana (about 5,000 copies).
State-owned Rádio Televisão de Cabo Verde (RTC) broadcasts radio in a channel in Portuguese and Creole. There are also small-scale television broadcasts. In Cape Verde there are 181 radio and 5 TV receivers per 1,000 residents (2000).
Culture
According to ALLUNITCONVERTERS, the Cape Verdean culture has flourished since independence in 1975. Before that, the Portuguese colonial power prevented the emergence of a native culture. Among other things, some kind of music was forbidden, because the Catholic Church perceived it as “the devil’s music”.
Today’s Cape Verde musical styles are characterized by mixtures of mainly Portuguese, African and Brazilian rhythms and elements. For example, the mothers (“Cape Verdean blues”) have been influenced by Portuguese fado, Brazilian modinha, Argentine tango and Angolan tongues. Other well-known music styles are bataque, funaná and coladeira. Funaná has strong African features and is often sung to accordion and ferro, an iron bar with notches over which another iron stick is drawn. Coladeira is dance music with Caribbean, sambal-like rhythms.
The Cape Verde singer, “barefoot diva” Cesária Évora (1941–2011), reached world renown. Other popular artists are Suzanna Lubrano, Alberto “Beto” Dias and Ildo Lobo (1953-2004).
The country’s literature had a flourishing period during the 1920s and 1930s with authors such as Eugénio Tavares, Pedro Cardoso, Jorge Barbosa, all of whom wrote in the Creole language crioulo. This was a way for them to mark their opposition to the colonial rulers. Among the most prominent writers of the day are Manuel Veiga, Valentinous Velhinho Rodrigues, Dina Salústio and Germano Almeida.
Mass Media
Freedom of the press and opinion is guaranteed in Cape Verde’s constitution and the country’s media can act freely from government interference. The debate climate is open and the media has good dissemination among the residents. A certain degree of self-censorship is believed to be exercised by journalists in some state-owned media.
At the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, Cape Verde 2018 ranked 29th among 180 countries. It was the third best ranking for an African country (only Namibia, Ghana and South Africa got a higher ranking).
The independent weekly Expresso das Ilhas was founded in 2001 by the bourgeois party MPD (see Political system). A Semana, which is supposed to be politically unbound but considered to be close to the Social Democratic Party PAICV, also comes out once a week. A third weekly magazine is the independent A Naҫão. There are also several monthly newspapers in the country. Until 1991, the Catholic monthly newspaper Terra Nova was the only regime-critical newspaper.
The state radio and television company Rádio Televisão Caboverdiana (RTC) is occasionally accused of lack of objectivity. RTC broadcasts in Portuguese and crioulo. Since 1998, there are also several private radio stations. The Cape Verde can also watch broadcasts from several foreign TV channels.
Broadband expansion is underway and access to the Internet is increasing. There are internet cafes in most major cities. Many magazines have their own websites on the internet, where foreign residents can cut off the value of what is happening in the home country. There are a number of online magazines, such as Visão News (www.visaonews.com) based in the United States and the news site Cabonet (www.cabonet.org).
FACTS – MASS MEDIA
Percentage of the population using the internet
58 percent (2018)
Number of mobile subscriptions per 100 residents
112 (2018)
2007
December
Cape Verde becomes a WTO member
The country is approved for membership in the World Trade Organization. Six months later, Cape Verde becomes a formal member of the organization.
November
A special partnership is signed with the EU
Cape Verde signs an agreement with the EU on special partnerships, which means closer cooperation in, for example, security issues, regional integration and poverty reduction.
