"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." Although these words were stated 2000 years ago by the greatest man that ever lived on earth, Jesus Christ, they resonate stronger and stronger today. One can see their weight on what's happening in the Cape Verdean community today in the United States - a group of great and beautiful people, hardworking men and women, many of them with bright minds and some successfully individually but still hasn't achieved much as community in one of the richest country in the world mainly because lack of unity as a group and strong community spirit.

Although lots of positive things happens among us, the community in general is still among one of the poorest in New England where you find a great concentration of us, with little or no political, social and economical influence and power considering the fact that Cape Verdeans started to come to this country as early as the irish and italian people and that there's a large population of us in this area. Additionally, we still have and unacceptable numbers of young men and women dropping out of school sometimes without finishing their high school degree, few still looking for solution in street life and others just conforming to the least of the many great things this country has to offer: low wage jobs.

However and thanks God, there are many active members of the community with the will and drive to change things and help elevate it to the level it deserve and is long overdue. First, one key steps to do this it to identify and have a deep understanding of the causes of this community lethargy. Although there are many factors inherent to the America society that affects our prosperity and pursue of happiness as a whole such as racism and discrimination, cultural adaptation, language barrier, stereotypes, inner-city issues, etc, there is one that seems to be specific to the Cape Verdean community: lack of unity or division among its members.

Indeed, many of us would not like to admit or hear this fact. I myself would prefer it was not true as well. But when one look at our reality and the big picture, it's hard to deny it: the Cape Verdean community is not moving forward in America mainly because it doesn't come together as a united people to get things done and take care of it's issues. In other words, the phrase "united we are strong" is having a hard time coming true in our strongholds. In fact, there is/are something(s) that is/are keeping us apart and consequently back as a community. What is it? Or what are they? These are the questions that we need to have a profound understanding of and then, once identified the factors that are causing them, roll our sleeves and work hard in finding solutions.

Please, join us on this debate in laying down the causes and issues that are keeping us apart so we can have a better understanding on what to do to move towards development, prosperity and empowerment as a whole and united community.

Thank you.

Great topic. However, you lost your focus and you're claiming as if our Capeverdean Community is in a "state of self-destruction".

Talk is cheap. Please! Every community, every society has problems and, indeed, need to overcome those problems. Therefore, we're not alone! Indeed we need to ACT NOW but, everything starts at the grassroot level.

My suggestion to you is a simple one:

Get you ACT TOGETHER in Boston (and everywhere else) and form a non-partisan CAPEVERDEAN ASSOCIATION.

Try to do what Paulo Barros e Co. do for the youth of Boston "Strela Negra". And remember...

"The children are the flowers of our revolution", Amilcar Cabral

As one said, "ONE CHILD AT A TIME!"

DR. Azágua

Azagua,

thanks for your feedback. I'm not talking about self distruction here because I know that the community far from that point. But we gotta be realistic. Our community is not were it should be mainly because it's not united. I'm talking about us finding long term solution for this issue, not only short term patches.

By the way, I talk the talk but also walk the walk. Just for illustration, I walk up and down Draper, Hamilton, and Bowdoin St - streets known for frequent shootings - every day of the week most of times going door to door and helping my community access services and programs to improve the neighborhoods of Boston. I feel comfortable to bring this topic up, because I'm one of the many among us that put themselves in the frontline everyday even in periods of shootings and crisis in our streets to help our people. I'm about talking the the talk but also walking the walk.

But that aside, let's not lose the focus of this debate to start shooting on particular individuals. Instead, let's shoot at the problems and bring them down. This is about focussing on what's keeping us from uniting. And talking about that, one of the things that keep us apart is too much regionalism. In other words, we focus too much on the "sampadjudu versus badiu" issue, "kriolu di Praia, Kriolu di Fogo, Kriolu di Brava, Kriolu di Soncent", etc, that we forget the big picture: capeverdianity.

For example, I've heard people in Dorchester saying that they wouldn't go to Ferro Gaita concerts because they are a bunch of "badius". On the other hand, I've heard people stating that the concert of Armando de Pina was an event from people from Brava. Thus they don't need to be there. Likewise, I've heard people saying that the shootings and gang rivalry in our community is mainly an issue from people from Fogo and Brava. So, they don't have to worry about it. Indeed and sadly, some of us still are looking at things with "glasses of island of origin or the type of kriolu one speaks." This is one thing we need to put aside and remember that, above all we are CABOVERDIANOS. Sincerely, We need to keep in mind the beautiful words I heard Mayor Menino saying in one of his visit to the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood: "our diversity is our strength". It does not matter what kind of kriolu do you speak or what island you come from. We need to forget the things that shouldn't count and come out as a United Community of Cape Verdeans here in the United States of America.

Thank you.

to be united, one does not have to be in complete agreement and harmony. . .just moving as one ! to often people wait and try to get everyone to agree on everything and action never takes place !

First of all thanks to forCV for this forum.
I think every reasonable krioulu will agree that we have some problems which need to be resolved within our community. But what concerns me is that no one is talking about strategies or solutions for resolving our concerns. Therefore let me shed some light on this as objectively as possible.

•We need to assume personal responsibility individually & as a
community.

•Admitting fault is the first step in correcting our errors.

•We need to become active politically in participation which simply means individually registering and voting. Once we do this we need to vote as a block much like a Union after the leadership has identified & articulated the most important common interest we have. This will give us political credibility in our cities & towns and thus better cooperation & collaboration form our officials.

•If this happens than we should look to encourage & support our own to run for office & influence our issues & concerns.

•We also need to do business with each other in all aspect of commerce especially in the financial field where issues are more complex. Support local Capeverdean businesses as much as possible for it’s the most critical relationship neighbors can have with each other.

These solutions are not my innovation, rather steps which the Italian, Irish, Jewish, Cuban & many more other sub groups within USA have taken in order to not only advocate their cause but latterly assume control.
But in order to do this we need leadership whether it’s intellectual or of charisma in order to mobilize & motivate the mass.

Inclosing, I’m not suggesting being closed minded & only deal with Capeverdeans, in fact this would be counter productive, but what I’m suggesting is a way of establishing a solid foundation which will give us a voice in the public arena. Therefore this will always be a team effort & it's achivable, all we have to do is to start acting like we want it not just say it.

Nu ka debe tem complexo di fala de nôs língua ou foca regionalismo, desde que saudavelmente. Nôs diversidade ê qui ta fazenu um povo único, isto é de S.Antão a Brava e na diáspora.

Sometime ago(2-3 years) i was hanging out with a friend of mine at his house(on the porch) in Pawtucket,Rhode Island. As we spoke about ordinary things, we went political - i said quote, "Cape Verdean politics is on a good footing and its setting an example for many african nations nowadays" unquote.

He plainy agreed with me on my statement - i went on saying that the island of Sao Vicente had done much for "Cape Verde" through its port(i.e.,the port of Sao Vicente generated millions of dollars in which - the locals and the cape verdeans at-large benefitted from it,before the port of Praia was lengthened)and that i'd like to see one of their own get elected prime minister or president.Those words uttered by me made him visibly unconfortable and when he uttered those words - quote"the natives of Sao Vicente will never get to power in Cape Verde,i would never vote for a native of Sao Vicente myself"unquote.I realized he was one of many cape verdean bigots out there and many of them didn't even realize that.When i say it starts at home;i mean we have gotten to get over this local "dialect thing" difference, and judge ourselves according to our merits.Carlos Veiga has been elected prime minister twice.Though his maternal roots are in Sao vicente and he's a native of sao vicente also,he was raised on the island of Santiago by his paternal relatives.I doubt,he'd have been entrusted enough by the natives of the santiago island with the "country" for two terms(ten years) had he not been a fluent "badiu"speaker.

Bigotry is something that needs to be stressed on in Cape Verde - in earnest because - most islanders are affected by it whether - they admit it or not.

The cape verdean diaspora as other "diasporas" looks up to their country - in all aspects !

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!! LoL.

My dear compatriotas, having followed (a bit) what's going on in the FORUM, I'm soooo happy to see how wonderfully beautiful some minds are, how much some of us are willing to give, to give back to our community, to our country (regardless of which region or island). I'm happy to see that some of us are willing to organize events honoring one of us. I'm happy to see that we're taking time off of our busy schedule to TALK about our needs and wishes, our past and our future. I'm happy to call Joao, Pedro, Domingos, Maria or Fatima, my brother or my sister. Yes dear people all that makes me happy (n ta contenta ku poco). However it is sad to see how painfully absurd some of us can be, willing to do anything to "Just Get Noticed".

How about starting by doing what we're preaching?
Lu

Guentes e bom que nos tudo toma conciencia de cuze sta passa na nos comunidade e tenta faze algo .E fala del ja e grande cuza .Ca importa de que ilha nos e ,mas nos tudo e caboverdeano .se tudo nos faze nos parte tenta fala co nos juventude trabadja organizado e co um objetivo nos e capaz de consigui medjora nos comunidade.No debe tenta uni sem importa de que ilha nos e.Marito que li e um bom tema ta fazeno pensa e talvez dexa de fla mal de nhos propis irmos de nos terra.adorei

Articles, like the one Azagua wrote about the soccer team that got the W @ foxboro does not help his community.
Quotting Jacko "Take a look in the mirror and make the change"

Dear visitor,

we respect your opinion as you are intitled to one.

However, as far as our visitors and members respect the forum code of conduct, they are free to write whatever subject they want. Also, when they register as members of this forum, they agree that they are solely responsible for the content of their postings. So, the views of articles posted here by other members do not automatically represent the views of FORCV or its staff.

Especifically, in the case of the article written above by Azagua, we explicitly posted that disclaimer in Portuguese since the article was written in Portuguese - "Atenção: O conteudo deste artigo não reflete o ponto de vista de forcv.com e sua equipa. Ela simplesmente traduz a opinião do seu referido autor."

Although we monitor and moderate this forum, we do not censor people just because we disagree with their views or ideas. We highly tolerate and respect the freedom of speech on this forum. As you may have noticed, few members of this forum have posted articles and comments with intent to descredit and portrait a bad image of FORCV. Although they don't go along with the facts about us, our commitement to respect the freedom of speech of our members and visitors motivates us to welcome all type of ideas here, as far as they don't violate the code of conduct.

Thank you.

P.S. If one wants to debate the degree of agreement of monitoring in thiis forum, he or she can start a new post about it. However, I appeal to all of us to stay focus and not distract our debate from this important issue: What's keeping us apart?

Well my bothers and sisters, welcome to the Western psychological games. Any group of people who accept others to define them as inferior and violent will self-destruct. Don’t let it happen to us!!!!

It is self-defeating to repeat all these negative stereotypes which the larger community want us to accept and internalize. Please stop this nonsense, starting with all of us, including you, Webmaster.

Cape Verdeans are not violent people. If we need examples of violent people, all we would have to do is look at the western nations, including US. We're not the ones who exterminated 60 Million native Americans from Canada to Chile; nor are we the ones who went around the world annihilating nations after nations in search of riches and world domination.

We are a peaceful people who for the last 500 years have suffered and continue to suffer unspoken injustices in the hands of western powers around world.

When was the last time Fogo invaded Santiago with an army; or Santiago invade S. Vicente by force? Never; and it will never happen.

For close to 200 years, Americans have always felt jealous of Cape Verdeans because we were the only people from Africa to immigrate to this country as free people; and above all 'refused' to accept them as 'superior' people. Instead, we always kept our culture and our pride as a distinct ethnic group with a culture, language and traditions, way and above their miserable racist societies.

I am not surprised that the larger community media continues to promote the concept that Cape Verdeans are a violent people in the hopes that may internalize it and thereby self-destruct.

Lets not forget that those small bands of youth who are committing crimes in our communities are precisely those individuals who have ‘rejected’ traditional Cape Verdean values and instead ‘accepted and internalized’ the American Youth Culture.

The first step in shutting down this plan is for us to stick to our culture, traditions and VALUES just like we have for the past 200 years.

Lastly, stop promoting this false propaganda!!!!

Again, you are going away from the central idea here. I acknowledge that a small percentage of our youth has unfortunately find themselves caught into the web of street life in part for the same reason you pointed out: an attempted to internalized the bad side of what the American youth culture has to offer instead of choosing the many great opportunities this country has available for those who internalized and lived by the values of hard work, education and discipline. We cannot keep living in denial of this issue we face. Humans beings usually don't like to listen to the truth, especially when it hurts. However, one way one can solve it's problems is to be aware of its challenges and them find smart and realistic solutions. That's why we decided to debate this and other issues we face on this forum with the intention and goal to lay out alternative ideas to help our own people.

Nevertheless, I never labeled or believed Cape Verdeans are violent. It would be ridiculous for me to believe that of myself and the people I grew up and live with. There is no attempt to spread propaganda here. just a sincere will and commitment to help our community develop and put positive headlines about us on the media in this country although many of them don't seem interested in doing that. I can say that personally because I've many times sent good stories about Cape Verdeans to a long list of the media I have, and they simply ignore them.

But going back to the point: if you live in the Cape Verdean community in the US you would notice that we've been here for a long time - as long as the Italian and Irish people just to mention few communities that have worked their way up to success in the US - but when you look at the Cape Verdean community there seems to be a weak unity among us as a group and lack of capital and political power. Still, I honestly believe that we can do better than this. And with this in mind, we want to shake the community and wake it up towards a stronger unity and hard work to change the state of things. This is the theme and goal of this debate.

I don't know where you get the idea that we want to spread propaganda that Cape Verdeans are violent. Although we report facts when they come up including incidents in our community - a media entity ought to be objective, fair and balanced -, we focus strongly on positive things that happen in the community and reinforce what some elements of the main stream media has conscious and continuously refused to do about the Cape Verdean community: publish or broadcast many of the great things that happen in our neighborhood.

On the other hand, although I’m not a perfect person nor claim to be a shining star among us, I love my community and will do my best to help get it to the next level. Likewise, I sincerely believe that the rest of our team shares the same feelings and goals.

Thank you.

How about this. . .I was raised in my community. The community 20 years ago was predominately hispanic and african american. Historically, people of color in this country have been poor, uneducated, and mainly confined to inner city environments and the ills that come with. The media, the system, the government, what ever you want to call it has always demonized minorities. No race or nationality can be accurately dubbed as a violent group. Are hispanics here in america violent ? maybe a small portion. Blacks (descendant of slaves) ? maybe a small portion ? Carribean ? maybe a small portion ? Capeverdean maybe a small portion !

1. Stop seperating yourself from this small portion because if you care then reach out to them to make the portion even smaller, even if by 1 person.

2. Stop seperating yourself from the community. We live in the same community. The Capeverdean community doesn't stand in a vacuum. Community is also geographical, its who your neighbor is. Who your children play with, who they go to school with. Any person living in these states is influenced by American culture. Yes, you too. So don't divide the youth by American youth, Capeverdean youth, Hispanic youth, etc. . .

It's not the blame game !

When will we see we are victims of the same system and suffer the same ills. And until we realize its about Human Rights and equality for all regardless of what divides us. We will not come together.

Dear Webmaster,

My response was more directed towards your question: "What's Keeping Us Apart?"

If you truly want to bring about 'unity', my advise would be to start by 'recognizing' the many and rich contributions which Cape Verdeans have made to America, instead of labeling our entire immigration to U.S. as 'weak in unity', 'lack of capital', etc. Obviously, you have not read Cape Verdean American history. You don't know the special achievements that many Cape Verdean Americans have made.

More to the point, however, it is wrong to compare Cape Verdean immigrants with the Irish, Italian or Jewish immigrants, specially given the racial context under which America operates. You are comparing apples and oranges.

Cape Verdean immigrants faced tremendous different challenges in the U.S., vis-à-vis their European counterparts. While the Italian, the Irish and the Jewish communities faced challenges in U.S. from the English and German immigrants, we faced severe racism and discriminations from all them combined!

The webmaster does not fully understand the level of racism and discrimination that our people faced and continue to face from all communities, including Irish, Italians, Jews, French, English,…..need I go on. Furthermore, the immigrant communities with which you are comparing Cape Verdeans to are white communities with large populations.

We don't have sufficient population in U.S. to swing national or regional elections, as do the Irish or Italians. Furthermore, your assertions as to our supposed lack of capital is not due to any failure or to lack of work on our part; rather it is due to a systematic racist/capitalist system that have always keep our people down in this country.

In summary, power is achieved through positive re-enforcement of our people; it is not achieved by insinuating that we have failed. Please note here. We have not failed! On the contrary, we have been very successful in this country.

I strongly suggest the Webmaster to read American history from the African American perspective; not that of the founding fathers. It is not enough to know that slavery existed in this country. You need to know the ‘degree’ to which it permeated all sectors of humanity is this nation; and how it affected the lives of every person of African descent, including Cape Verdeans in this nation.

Mister Webmaster, Thank you for starting this discussion. We, as people may not agree on most matters but that's precisely the beauty of it: bring your ideas, I'll bring mine, throw them in the pot, stir the whole thing and come up with a synthesis of it all. Now, can we go forward with something positive (like re-introducing David Soares in the COMMUNITY), something that will allow the least fortunate of us to take advantage of all this brilliantly cultivated minds are trying to spread on the net?

Lu

I think this debate on the divisiveness within the CV community needs to be redone in such a way that viable practical solutions can be offered. I see the webmaster's discussion-starting text as being too unspecific. On a theoretical level it is fine, but in terms of generating solutions it needs to offer more concrete examples of divisiveness problems. I found the webmaster's article to offer few specific community problems, only that unity is a problem. Well, show evidence that unity is a problem. Give real-life situations that people can relate and respond to.

I believe that the problems regarding divisiveness are varied and need to be looked at individually (i.e. gangs, island rivalries, etc). While the lack of unity may be a common theme among most/all problems in the CV cmmty, I believe that each issue needs to have its own individual attention.

So what i am saying is - take individual issues and start debate about each of them. I am not sure it is practical to look at all the problems through the same lens. In fact it might be counterproductive to believe that this umbrella term of "unity" is the key to solving all of the problems afflicting the CV cmmty. Obviously it is vitally important, but go down to the grassroots level and look at problems on a more individual basis. This might make it easier to offer workable solutions. Look at it as a gradual process - improving the CV cmmty one step at a time. This is a bit of a rambling response, but I just wanted to weigh in with my opinion.

Forca

what is keeping apart the different islands of the caraibean islands?