The People's Voice | Vos Di Povu

CV2k · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 112

St_antao wrote:

salah,
...
if you accept to dissolve your cv-american identity and replace it with the afro-american identity then you are not any more representing the cv culture, you are representing the afro-american culture. Are you, or did you get absorbed into the afro-american community/culture?

Santo Antao,

I think you are looking at the issue of Cape Verdean (CV) and African American (AA) culture in just one perspective - black and white. This approach can lead you to some mistake because this two cultures are closed related and some time intertwined. How so? First, Cape Verdeans are Africans. This a priori put their culture close to the African American one. Second, the Cape Verdean-American culture is a variation the AA culture because Cape Verdeans born in the United Stated are Americans of African descent, so African-Americans by the literal definition of the term. Yet, they are Cape Verdeans as well. Now, their culture is obviously highly influence by the strong bonds with Cape Verde. So, they are not exactly the same as the culture from African-American that have been here from generations after generations and are more influence and shaped by the America’s mainstream culture. Nevertheless, you see a lot of similarity between the 2 cultures among the youth especially of second and third generation. Last, the two cultures co-exist side by side in the US. Cape Verdeans generally live in the same neighborhood as African Americans. So, you want it or not, they bump into each other and mix and mingle a lot.

The difference between the two cultures is more acute when you compare the AAs with the recent CV immigrants (Africans from the continent) because the latter are strongly attached to the home culture of Cape Verde.

On another note, I see a fear of the AA urban culture in some on your past postings here. Just to let you know, the urban culture of violence and poverty is not what the AA culture is ALL about, although the media try to make you see it that way. It's just a negative side of that culture. On the other hand, there's also a middle class AA culture ( which is tough to break into) that strongly value education, success, self-identity, and leadership. This is the one that Cape Verdeans especially the youth should look at and see what they can learn from it since it's proven effective in getting the AAs ahead in US, not the gang culture they are reproducing out there. Don't let the BET rap videos and Hollywood movies fool you. There’s more to the African American culture than what you are shown.

Briefly, I'm not saying the CV culture is the SAME as the AA culture. But they are not a black and white thing. Rather, they are similar in lots of ways and often intertwined.

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

My first question is what is a CV identity.

What makes a CV?

Is not a CV a person who is of mixed parentage.

Our culture and our mother tongue our music and our dance and the food we eat. Our culture has nothing to do with the complexion or the color of our skin. One can be dark or light and be members of the same family.

It seems to me that you want to say that CV people are just Portuguese,but not African or so many other mixtures. The facts are that African people were enslaved and colonized by Portugal no one can deny that fact. Many Caboverdeanos had to make a choice of being Preto or Branco depending in what country they lived in and how much racism played a part in their life.

In the United States Black CV's had no other choice of being nothing else
but colored or Negro then called Black and today the term is widley accepted African American. They don't have Cabo Verde on the census.

Portuguses people never accepted me as Portugeses but as a preto. Light skin Caboverdianos did the same because they thought they were better because they were light skin and wanted to be white caucasion. That caused a lot of problems in many families. If any thing it looks like you have the same problem and you need to get a grip of your self and deal with reality. We as a Caboverdian people are married to many nationailties and so am I.

Our concern as a people today is to make unity and to do all we can to make Cabo verde a better place for all. To live a good life and to enjoy good people in peace and happiness which we call morabeza.

If your hung up on race or being CV or AA or Black or White or Brown that is your problem not ours. We all hope you will have a good life and that you will find peace from within and that you can enjoy all good people.

Cabo Verde is becoming more recognized around the world and we are being acknowledged as a people. We are working for unity and for our success socially,culturally and economically. We have good people who are representing us around the world. We are making every effort to engage in a positive move for excellence in our government and to make Cabo verde and Caboverdianos proud. To continue to liberate from ignorance and the destruction and failures of the past,to overcome all difficulties of colonialism and criminal behavior. Another words we are trying for salvation to overcome sin,krung krung; it is not an easy task but we are working on it every day.

I have a question for you;that is what is about history from the Great African Empires that disturbed the Romans and the Greeks and the European that they had to taint history to make them feel good about themselves. Was it because they were savages and barbaric and people of the caves without any form of civilization before they met and saw how good the people of Africa were living .

Here is what Woodrow Wilson said about history."A nation which does not know what it was yesterday,does not know what it is today,nor what it is trying to do".

Kahilil Gibran said." History does not repeat it self except in the minds of those who do not know history".

Malcolm X said "History is a people's memory,and without memory man is demoted to the lower animals."

Voltaire said:" History is the lie commonly agreed upon."

Karl Marx said: " The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle".

Peter Gayl said: "History is an argument without end".

For me; I am as much involved in the African culture as I found in Cabo Verde among the Caboverdian Africans;I identitfy with the oppressed and the down trodden I identitfy with those who were raped and whipped on the post and was forced into labor camps those that were abused and misused and suffered for 500 years.

Viva Amilcar Cabral!
Viva PAICV!
Viva Povo Cabo Verde!
Viva President Pedro Pires!
Viva Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves
Viva Minister of Foreign Affairs Victor Borges
Viva Parliament of Cabo Verde.

Manu Salah

St_antao · Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 334 Location: FR

salah, you said "Our culture has nothing to do with the complexion or the color of our skin. ", yes that's the point.

So if it is not related to color of skin, why do you follow the AA based on the fact that you are considered to be a black.

I have nothing against afro-americans. But I don't like their africanist theories which are completly made of their frustrations and their phantasms.

I think that if someone, chooses to replace is culture and also cultural-theories by the culture of the afro-americans then he is betraying his own culture. even if you were black, because by the way there is 30% of the cv population who is black by any country racial criterias, even by cv racial criteria.

I dislike the fact that you come promoting AA theories and in the other side presenting them as something that is cv. This means that you want to dilute the cv into the afro-american...

You know salah, the peace within is found just with the truth, nothing else will bring the peace within. That's why I allways look for the truth rather than what is pleasing and easy.

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

St_antao wrote:

salah, you said "Our culture has nothing to do with the complexion or the color of our skin. ", yes that's the point.

So if it is not related to color of skin, why do you follow the AA based on the fact that you are considered to be a black.

I have nothing against afro-americans. But I don't like their africanist theories which are completly made of their frustrations and their phantasms.

I think that if someone, chooses to replace is culture and also cultural-theories by the culture of the afro-americans then he is betraying his own culture. even if you were black, because by the way there is 30% of the cv population who is black by any country racial criterias, even by cv racial criteria.

I dislike the fact that you come promoting AA theories and in the other side presenting them as something that is cv. This means that you want to dilute the cv into the afro-american...

You know salah, the peace within is found just with the truth, nothing else will bring the peace within. That's why I allways look for the truth rather than what is pleasing and easy.

My dear friend it seems as i have said that the only truth for you is based on the Europeans. I am not promoting AA theories just the facts about world history. What do you make of the fact that a great number of European scholars also agree that history has been changed and revised to make it look like they were civilized and gave birth to civilization.
This is not what is being said by AFricans but by Europeans.

Those of us who are students of world history are not changing our culture we are just telling you that you are wrong about world history.

How can you say that you know the truth when you see things only from European writers. You only like the might of white as the only thing that is right. That is your false opinion about what you call truth. You like only European theories and pproduct of the fantasy of there minds or even better there phantasmagoria.That my dear friend is racism.

You can think what you want my friend,but you are at a lost for truth.

The so-called Holy Bible containing the old and new testaments have been translated out of the original tongues and with former translation diligently compared and revised commonly known as the Authorized (King James) Version. If he (King James)and his academicism could make those changes what makes you think that other Europeans could not change history based on the superiority of race that is the exaggerated opinion of oneself.

Do you think that 4500 BC that European or Anglos White folk may have saw the many great African statues of black men with thick lips and flat nose who were so advanced that they may have done what you accuse African of. Have you been to Egypt and looked at the sphinx. Are you aware of the truth that the Egyptians educated the Greeks. That Egyptians are Africans. That many Greeks are very dark just as you will find in Southern Portugal. Why is that? We know that Black and white make Brown Smile

Why ar you so ashamed of having Black DNA in your vains I am not ashamed of having white DNA in mine that was history my man,get over it move on. Lets us enjoy humanity, Be at peace with your self Brother. Let us work to make a better world. You are outraged that the truth about history is being told. There was African Philosophers who lived before Thales,Socrates or Plato. Read the book Stolen Legacy By George G.M. James

You should try to open your mind and your heart and see the whole truth not by the lies you have been taught all your life. I have given you many books to read do your self a favor read some perhaps you might learn something don't be afraid of the truth.
Have a great holiday.

Manu Salah

St_antao · Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 334 Location: FR

salah,

you are so confused that you are trying to think for me...you tell that I think this and that...but I never told you what I think on that matter. What I tell you is that going from an eurocentric historical point of view to an afro-centric point of view is not good. You are here spreading afro-centric historical point of views, surely based on facts (just as much as the euro-centric point of view is also based on facts), but if your point of view is to much afro-centric then it is going to an extremism that carries in itself the opposite of the truth.

What I dislike in the AA approach to history is this afro-centrism that I found quite ridiculous. AA and other americans have the disadvantage of being 10000miles away from africa (and europe) in the other side of the Atlantique and for this reason americans have developped blurred and confused theories of africa.
1) I know egyptians, and egyptians are not part of the "negroid race" although they have thick lips, and dark complexion, they classify themselves as white mediteraneans. There is a clear split in the racial composition of africa when you cross the sahara, in the north, the white-mediteraneans (arabo-berbers) as they define themselves. In the south of the sahara the black-africans (negro-africans) as they define themselves.
2) Obviously the 10000miles of ocean between the mediteranean sea and america blurred your mind too in the comprehension that the cultural matrix of Greeks and Egyptians is what here in the south of europe we call the mediteranean culture. And Greek and Egyptian cultures were intermingled. The greeks built a lot of colonies all around the mediteranean sea. The phenicians (from what is called liban) also spread their colonies all around the mediteranean sea. This mediteranean culture is the cultural-matrix that has been the cement of the greek, the egyptian culture. The split between the two sides of the mediteranean sea came when the muslims conquered the noth of africa.
3) you wrote "
Do you think that 4500 BC that European or Anglos White folk...", this gives me a clue that you are trapped in the historical approaches of the anglo-whites. The anglo-whites were savages in that time, and the concepts of white and black that the anglo-whites have created didn't exist at that time. The dominant culture was the MEDITERANEAN CULTURE, mediteranean people wether they are in south-europe or north-europe define themselves as white-mediteraneans. They build an intermingled culture and the connexions were various and numerous. The historical and cultural area of egypt is and was the mediteranean area and not africa

4) I invite you to seek the truth rather than the part of truth that comes to help your opinion and historical point of view. You have to accept to integrate this concept of MEDITERANEAN CULTURE, other you are just doing afro-centrism and then lying to the ones who want to learn.

5° your continental approach of history just erases what was important to understand: It is the Mediteranean sea which was the unifying factor not africa. The mediteraneans of the three continents share the same culture and racial concepts. This is closer to the truth than you continental aproach.

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

The origin of Mediterranean people originated in Africa.
Very dark skin people mixing with Asian and caucasion.
Mediterranean meaning middle or bordering.
Africa is the birth and mother and father of civilization.

Have you ever been to Africa?Have you ever been to Egypt? Have you ever been to Ethiopia that is all part of the Mediterranean and the sea
I have lived in certain countries of Africa for several years.
When I was in Cabo Verde I was in the company of many people who are Black and dark Brown do you have a problem with that. I also Have seen many very light and white looking CV'S do you have any problem with that? I don't have a problem with any of that there are my family.

All I can say to you my friend is what it says in the constitution of the Republic of Cabo Verde.(Article 10 number 7)

"The State of Cape verde shall be engaged in the effort the African identity,unity and integration and in the strengthening of acts of cooperation for development,democracy,progress and well-being of peoples,for the respect of Human Rights,peace and justice."

That is not what I have said that is what the constitution says so your argument should not be with me.

My last entry on the subject is what has already been said. " History is an argument without end" (Peter Gayl)

You can be what you choose. I'am not concerned.
Every good CV is trying to do his or her very best to make progress and to help develop the country and to respect all humanity with integrity and dignity And the choice by the majority of the people of Cabo Verde choose to be ingaged in the African identity so be it.

We have our culture and much of it is changing every day with the influence of miscegenation;but Batuki and Funana and the African influence exist very strong in our society;even after 500 years of colonialism. Thanks to people such as Amilcar Cabral and Aristides Pereira
and all the CV African Nationalist of PAIGC/PAICV and Agostino Neto of MPLA and Eduardo Mondlane of FRELIMO.

There is a good book by William Minter (PORTUGUESE AFRICA and the WEST) THIS IS A FEW WORDS ABOUT ASSIMILADOS:"EVEN THE ASSIMILADOS DID NOT FIND HIMSELF IN A POSITION OF FULL EQUALITY WITH WHITE PORTUGUESE. HE HAS TO CARRY AN IDENTITY CARD WITH HIM TO PROVE THAT HE WAS A CITIZEN,WHITES CARRY THEIR PROOF IN THE COLOUR OF THEIR SKIN." ISBN 0-85345-295-4

Have a happy holiday find joy and harmony and be mindful of doing good and remember to cultivate loving kindness and learning ways to work for the well being of all peoples,practice generosity. Be committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of all peoples.

Deus Ku nos.

Manu Salah

St_antao · Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 334 Location: FR

salah,

I feel sad for AA. What I understand from this try to integrate the mediteranean history into the negro-african history, I undertsand that the AA american are so complexed about the history of the negro-africans that they try to integrate into this history the egyptyans who in fact were and still are a mediteranean civilisation which has very weak links with negro-african countries. Do you feel that the negro-african history lacks lustre so that you have to go to sthole the history and culture from others (north-africans mediteranean based cultures) and try to integrate what is their?

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

St_antao wrote:

salah,

I feel sad for AA. What I understand from this try to integrate the mediteranean history into the negro-african history, I undertsand that the AA american are so complexed about the history of the negro-africans that they try to integrate into this history the egyptyans who in fact were and still are a mediteranean civilisation which has very weak links with negro-african countries. Do you feel that the negro-african history lacks lustre so that you have to go to sthole the history and culture from others (north-africans mediteranean based cultures) and try to integrate what is their?

The only thing that I can tell you is that you fail to understand the people that are called African Americans; are from the ancestry of Africans that were brought from North Africa and other parts of Africa should that be those who were enslaved or sold into bondage from Egypt or from the mediterranean area or from East,West North or South Africa That is why they are called African Americans people who were brought on slave ships to the caribbean from Guadeloupe Barbados Virgin Islands to St Kitts Haiti,Jamaica to Cuba,the Honduras all the way to the USA and to Mexico. Ships from Spain,Portugal,France,British and others who were involved in the slave trade . Families and tribes were seperated and sold at auction on the block and some were shipped out of Cabo Verde,that is the untold story of Cidade Vella. When you talk about a weak link with Negro Africans you are out of the ball park and are so grossly mislead. You don't know African history but onlly the story that you want to beleive. You have a definite problem;just as here in the states many who have passed the color line will fight to make sure that they deny any Negro blood line. Even those Slave Master's that made childern with Negro mistress or slave girls. The same can be said about the many mixtures of people in Cabo Verde who will deny that they have Negro blood line. I have people in my family born in Cabo Verde who are the same way. Think the way you like let us stop this nonsense..
You can continue to follow the path of Bilial the angels of confusion.
Enjoy life my man do something positive. End of story. Laughing

Manu Salah

St_antao · Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 334 Location: FR

salah,

I enjoy the truth and the truth is positive.

The AA have a negro-african origin. The AA don't have a north-african origin. the cultural link between north african prehistoric cultures with the negro-african cultures was and is very weak. The historical basis of north africa is the mediteranean sea. The influence of the fact that Egypt was in the mediteranean sea was more important than the fact that egypt is part of africa.

Salah, you are confused and don't understand the subtilities of the african culture. the african culture as you show it, doesn't exist. There is a cultural and racial divide between the north which is mediteranean (arabo berbers), and the sub-saharan wich is negro-african. The unity between these two civilisational areas of africa doesn't exist.

Why do you keep posting message trying to convince people that this complexity and double civilisation of africa doesn't exist. and the color of skin, has nothing to do with this.

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

For many this is the Buddha meaning Enlightenment.A,B,C.D,E.
ALLAH-BUDDHA-CHRISTO-Deus-ELOHIM. Wink

Calmity! Calamity in the world no secret can remain hidden for the chastisement of Deus will not let you hide it.

We see the great division,the great disagreements,disunity and murder of men.

The greatness of the life giver to all humanity the original man the Black man who gave birth to all is on the rise and it has been prophessiesd and Africa being the mother of all civilization is on the rise and will reclaim all that is. In the Book of Is. 43:5 & 6 :" Fear not: I am with thee (Africa) I will bring thy seed from the east,and gather them from the west(Americas) I will say to the north,give up;and to the south,keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth."

The mistreatment of the Africans will come to an end.This is the word and the power of the Almighty. It is going on at this very moment Africa will rise like the phoenix out of the ashes and all the commotion will be over.

Every Nation has a term;so when its term comes,they cannot remain behind the least while,nor can they precede it. This in the term of all Africa and Cabo Verde (Azijah) is the guide on from the middle of the Ocean. And there is a special work for Cabo Verde,especially when a divine beginning and ending has been appointed for the accomplishment of a certain work that must be done and will be done by the life and the life of the peoples. Blessed are they that put their trust in him.

There is another period upon us a new day.

REPENT. Seek ye the Kingdom of Deus.

"MOREOVER,BRETHREN,I WOULD NOT THAT YOU SHOULD BE IGNORANT,HOW THAT ALL OUR FATHERS WERE UNDER THE CLOUD,AND ALL PASSED THROUGH THE SEA; AND WERE ALL BAPTIZeD UNTO MOSES
IN THE CLOUD AND IN THE SEA; AND DID ALL EAT THE SAME SPIRITUAL MEAT AND DID ALL DRINK THE SAME SPIRITUAL DRINK:FOR THEY DRANK OF THAT SPIRITUAL ROCK THAT FOLLOWED THEM: AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST". 1 Corinthians Chapter 10. Read on.

Manu Cher'no Salah Cool

The Profound Calling of the heart Very Happy

St_antao · Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 334 Location: FR

salah,

you finally reveal your real face. You think that god made the world for the black-africans. You think that the black africans are the centre of the world and that other human being are just a tool for god to make the destiny of the blacks happen. You are not the first person I hear having this theories. When I was in the USA, a AA guy told me the same king of BS. That god had a great project for the blacks and that the other races were in the world just to fulfill the destiny that god reserved to the blacks (who are according to him the real jews...). It is simply ridiculous.

All the human beings are the same, god made humans with self-mastery in order for each one to choose its own destiny. The blacks did a lot of mistakes in their choices, and the worst was to trust the europeans who came to buy slaves...They have as much responsability in this situation. They are not just victims. But took part to this situation.

To come back to the topic of the mediteranean cultures, Salah, you talk about egyptiand and africans... but did you ask to the egyptians what they think, what is their background...Or did you just went there to explain to them you they are?

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

St_antao wrote:

salah,

you finally reveal your real face. You think that god made the world for the black-africans. You think that the black africans are the centre of the world and that other human being are just a tool for god to make the destiny of the blacks happen. You are not the first person I hear having this theories. When I was in the USA, a AA guy told me the same king of BS. That god had a great project for the blacks and that the other races were in the world just to fulfill the destiny that god reserved to the blacks (who are according to him the real jews...). It is simply ridiculous.

All the human beings are the same, god made humans with self-mastery in order for each one to choose its own destiny. The blacks did a lot of mistakes in their choices, and the worst was to trust the europeans who came to buy slaves...They have as much responsability in this situation. They are not just victims. But took part to this situation.

To come back to the topic of the mediteranean cultures, Salah, you talk about egyptiand and africans... but did you ask to the egyptians what they think, what is their background...Or did you just went there to explain to them you they are?

I spent several hours with Gamal Nasser (1959) and he was more brown then me,he said that he was from African stock from the lower Nile the nubian people.He did not have a problem with being an Egyptian from Africa.

Getting hot under the collar. My real face is the same face you will find in Egypt when you see the sphinx,big lips flat nose. Perhaps you never saw the statue of Aspalta King of Cush,or Egyptian pharaohs what about the Queen of Ethiopia at Meroe,4th century B.C. What about the Black Pharaoh Khafre the great sphinx.

Why don't you read THE DESTRUCTION OF BLACK CIVILIZATION. YOU HAVE TO GO BACK INTO THE HISTORY OF AFRICA AND THAT OF ETHIOPIA AND EGYPT BEFORE 4000BC,NOT AFTER THE EUROPEANS CAME AND DESTROYED IT EVEN YOUR GREAT FRENCHMEN NAPOLEON WAS SO ANGRY AT WHAT HE SAW THAT HE AIM HIS GUN TO DESTROY THE FIGURES OF THE BLACK PHARAOHS..WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT QUEEN NZINGA AND THE MBUNDU RESISTANCE TO THE PORTUGESE SLAVE TRADE. LIVE AND LEARN MY GOOD MAN YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED.

The story you tell is the same the European or Anglo Americans tell about the the natives here in the so-called Americas,they stole the land of the indigenous people who they called Indians and those who would not assimilate they massacred or put them on reservation to live in squalor;and the way history is told you would think that they the people from Europe owned this land from the beginning. The first genocide was in Africa that is the systematic destruction of a racial,political and cultural.

They could not penetrate all of subSaharah population was to great so North Africa was there main target. For your information the original jews are Falashan Jew from Ethiopia was not Christ a Jew who's family was from what was called Egypt or kUSH. THE CLOCK IS TICKING. EVERY DAY AFRICA IS TURNING THE WHEEL. GLOBAL WARMING IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE CYCLE ON THE CLOCK OF TIME. There is no doubt the unity of Africa is a slow turning wheel of justice. Cool

Fall on your knees and face the rising Sun.

Lord have mercy a new day begun.

Chaos and confusion and the game of charade is on the way out Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock every second on the clock Tick Tock Tick Tock
Deus Sta Ku Nos.
Manu Cher'no Salah Omo-Wali

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

St_antao wrote:

salah, you said "Our culture has nothing to do with the complexion or the color of our skin. ", yes that's the point.

So if it is not related to color of skin, why do you follow the AA based on the fact that you are considered to be a black.

I have nothing against afro-americans. But I don't like their africanist theories which are completly made of their frustrations and their phantasms.

I think that if someone, chooses to replace is culture and also cultural-theories by the culture of the afro-americans then he is betraying his own culture. even if you were black, because by the way there is 30% of the cv population who is black by any country racial criterias, even by cv racial criteria.

I dislike the fact that you come promoting AA theories and in the other side presenting them as something that is cv. This means that you want to dilute the cv into the afro-american...

You know salah, the peace within is found just with the truth, nothing else will bring the peace within. That's why I allways look for the truth rather than what is pleasing and easy.

KEEP ON LOOKING GO TO SANTIAGO AND LOOK DEEP INTO THE BLACKNESS OF BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE DOING THE FUNANA AND BATUKI.

WHAT IS YOUR FRUSTRATION?

GO BACK TO CABO VERDE SEE FOR YOURSELF.

I have spoken with some people from St Antao and they have told me that if the mountain were able to talk you would be in a lot of trouble.
Do you remember the behavior and how you carried your self among those who were in the servitude of your family and why you left in such a hurry when independence was to be claimed. What did you do up in those mountains that you left in such a hurry and why is it if you love Cabo Verde so much why don't you go back since you claim it to be your home?

There are some facts about what some of the negative behavior that was done up in the mountains by you and your friends but I don't want to speak about it;shame on you no wonder you have the idea of white superiority; lets just leave well enough alone. I fully understand. The Santos family know you very well. You are not in good standings. Bo e malaundru e kun feeyadou. Aways a smart aleck.

How many other CV'S from St Antao know what they did up on those hills out of sight. Tugar ka bar-lay.

CV2k · Joined: 10 Sep 2006 Posts: 112

The Boston Globe wrote:

(...) A relative of a member of the jury that convicted a black trash hauler of raping and murdering a white fashion writer on Cape Cod says the juror lied when he testified recently that he had no racist feelings toward blacks.

Delainda Julia Miranda, the great-aunt of Eric "Billy" Gomes, said yesterday that she often heard Gomes, a dark-skinned Cape Verdean, make disparaging remarks about blacks similar to those he allegedly uttered to other jurors in 2006 as they deliberated the fate of Christopher M. McCowen.

"Billy has talked about black people. . . . He doesn't like black people," Miranda, 74, said in a phone interview from her home in Mashpee. She quoted him as saying: "They're lazy, they don't want to work. . . . All they do is rob people, kill them, and deal drugs." (...) -http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/19/jurors_kin_says_he_lied_about_bias/

Someone down in Cape Cod do me a favor - take away the Cape Verdean passport from the hands of this ignorant and racist Eric "Billy" Gomes and burn it in front of him! Because of him and few racist and stupid Cape Verdeans that are so brainwashed by the idea that they are Portuguese, the whole Cape Verdean (CV) community from New England is being looked at as another chapter of Klu Klux Klan and hateful of African Americans (AAs) right now in the USA specially among African Americans. This story is now a national sensation and people are piggy bagging on it to ignite the unspoken troubling racial relationship between the two groups. Although Eric "Billy" Gomes represents a small fraction of racist and confused Cape Verdeans that are responsible for the not-so-good interaction between CVs and AAs at times, the whole community is suffering right now for their disgusting mind-set and ignorant behavior. I hope he gets thrown in jail for lying under oath and perverting the justice system with his racist feelings! Evil or Very Mad

This is a national embarrassment for us and Cape Verdean community leaders MUST come out publicly to denounce this ignorance and bigotry. Racism and prejudice are WRONG and IMMORAL, and we need to stop it among us especially among few old timers confused CVs that keep spreading their bias down to further generations.

The case of Eric "Billy" Gomes just brought the untouched racial stereotypes among some Cape Verdeans to the public arena. Enough is enough, folks! The leaders of the Cape Verdean community should come together and discuss a plan to deal with this issue. As an ethnic minority, we need to educate the confused minds among us and eradicate racism from our circles. We need to sit down around the table with the leaders of the African American community in Massachusetts and settle this issue. We are two communities with many commonalities in terms of identity, with same roots (Africa), and facing the same issues. We should be tight and united not divided. However, we Cape Verdeans need to address the racism and bigotry among ourselves before we reach out to talk about this problem with others. Specifically, there is an unacceptable level of stereotypes and prejudice between light skin and dark skin Cape Verdeans, between Sampadjudu and Badiu ( read the English version of Sampadjudu ku Badiu: a nôs ê kul! -http://forcv.forumup.org/about598-forcv.html) between the old and new immigrants, between Cape Verdeans born in US and Cape Verdean born in CV, and between Cape Verdeans from different islands based on regionalism. This issue need to be addressed first. In fact, we can only clean the dirty from someone else's eyes after we clean them from ours first.

So summarizing my proposal to deal with this issue, here is a plan:

- Short term approach: Organized Race and Identity discussions and dialogues in the CV community in Boston, Brockton, Pawtucket/ Providence, New Bedford/ Fall River, Brooklyn/ Albany, Orlando/ Kissimmee where people can vent and spell out their bias and confront them in a non-judgmental environment. This can easily be done by the community organization in each of these cities. And it has to be continuous not a one time thing.

- Long term approach: Sit down with leaders of AA community, explicitly explain who we are and were we stand in racial issues. Then, together put together an education campaign for both communities. There is racism and bias in both CV and AA community towards each other. This has to STOP!

- Urgent Approach: (1) The Cape Verdean community leaders MUST call a press conference to denounce racism, condemn Eric Gomes behaviors and let the general audience now that as a community we do not tolerate racism and bigotry. ((2) Organized a show of support to Christopher M. McCowen in front of the court on the day of his retrial (that should happen soon) under the theme CAPE VERDEANS FOR McCOWEN & AGAINST RACISM, where the community would show its condemnation for Eric’s attitude. AA community leaders from Mass should be invited to both the press conference and the demonstration of solidarity to McCowen.

I'm proud to be CAPE VERDEAN, I'm proud to be an AFRICAN IN AMERICA, and I'm proud to be BLACK.

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

CABO VERDE THE NEW WORLD OF JUSTICE AND TRUTH TAKES IT'S PLACE. AZIJAH WE ARE SEEKING OUR BALANCE.
We are human beings that which is humanity,what we want is that we are
good and that we are of the right manner of conduct and of good guidance;and that your insight will be to overcome evil.

Day or night is a service for our planet and may your inspiration be from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The present order may be personified as the truth on our planet earth.

"On that day will men proceed in groups sorted out,to be shown the deeds that will be done." Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good,see it!

"And anyone who Has done an atom's weight of evil,shall see it".

In this world good and evil are mixed together. But then they will be sorted out, and each grade of good and evil will be sorted out.
So they will proceed in companies to receive judgment. And they will be shown the exact import of everything that they had thought, said or done,in this life of probation,however they may have concealed or misinterpreted it in life".

king of Kings Lord of Lords.

Rasul
Manu Salah

salah Mateus · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 373

The question about identity and what a person should call themselves has been a topic of discussion.

In this country the good old USA. Many changes have been made.
My interest is with the people who were brought here from Africa as slaves.

The people who were forced here against their will. Captured or sold by other Africans. They came here as people from many tribes,Mandingo,Fulani,Wolof,Ballanta,Teukerlors,Sosso and many other tribes from many different countries on the continent of Africa.

From the Congo,Nigeria,Ghana,Guinea Senegal,Gambia Ivory Coast,Angloa, Mali all along the West coast of Africa along the Atlantic Ocean and beyond.

They spoke many different Tribal languages they were not able to even communicate with each other. Today we have the history of those who were made captive and the horrific voyage in the holds of ships across the Atlantic. Alex Haley's Roots should be read by all.

Now to the Caboverde people just like people from Trinidad,Panama,Puerto Rico,Dominican,Cuba and Haiti are known by the name of their country so are Caboverdinos known by the name of their country. Just as those who come from Poland,Germany,England or any other part of Europe are named by their country as those who are here from China or from the middle east are known by the name of their country. What is so difficult about that. No one is trying to make Puerto Rico to say they are Black.

Now about Black which is very beautiful. That is not what African folk were call a few years back it was colored or Negro. The many years of intermigling with many Africans from different tribes and the language that binded them together was the English langauage. Because the African children was not allowed to know anything about their past culture.

Because of racism & racist; white Power, Black Power came into play.

It was not intended to make Blackness as an identity.
Back in the day the so-called Negro or colored was made to hate Africa. Check the story on Kunta Kinte. Since Africa was a word of abuse and degradation and to try to make people who were brought to the USA to forget and to hate Africa.

The truth is that they should not be identified as Black or by any color,that is divisive (Aparthied)as was in South Africa by color.
You are still an African people. Even after being here in the USA for 400 years;you might not know your tribe or country but you know your great great grand parents came from Africa.

When African countries started to become independent those who were say Negro or Colored began to seek their true roots back to Africa from whence they came.

Organization such Congress of African People and All-African People Revolutionary Party and such as Pan- African Congress and such great men as Dr William Du Bois and Edward Blyden turned the people back to their source.

In the 1870s Blyden said: "Africa is no Island,seperated by an immense ocean from other portions of the globe,and cut off through the ages from the men who have made and influenced the destinies of mankind. She has
been closely connnected,both as source and nourisher,with some of the most potent influences which have affected for good the history of the world".

Dr.Du Bois was also one of the first to speak for all-Africa unity and an organizer of the first Pan-African conferences.Dr, Du Bois became known as "the father of Pan-Africanism.

Today you will find the vanguard thinkers replacing black with Africa and they are properly called African-American just as you have Italian Americans or Irish Americans or Native Americans or Anglo Americans etc etc. Only the racist identify by color code system.

No matter how much it is said that black is beautiful go to the dictionary and look up the word. Webster was a racist need I say more. We better change the dictionary.

Africa is your roots,so be it case closed.

Cabo Verde is West Africa which helps us to know no matter how much is the mixture we are still connected by geography with the main continent.
Visit ST,Tiago,Cidade Vella.
Be Cabo Verde American if you are in the Americas and if you are in Cabo verde look at the map of the world.

Cabo Verde in it's Constitution says this:
"The State of Cape Verde shall be engaged in the effort the African identity,unity and intergration and in the strengthening of acts of cooperation for development,democracy,progress and well being of the peoples, for the respect of Human Rights,peace and justice."

Difference is only in the process of immigration,migration or as slaves and time of history. Portugal & Spain was among the first to make slaves and to transport them either to the Island called Cabo Verde or the ships that left Cabo Verde with African on the Atlantic Slave Trade.

I say this: That Cabo Verde is like third base in order to be safe at home you must touch third Base, Cabo Verde is 3rd Base,and Africa is home.

Manu Salah Omo-Wali Mateus