[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14551]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CAPE VERDE NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues, my fellow 
Rhode Islanders, and our Cape Verdean community in celebration of Cape 
Verde Independence Day.
  Every country is rich with its own history and unique story of how it 
achieved democracy, and Cape Verde is no exception. In 1462, Portuguese 
settlers arrived at Santiago and founded the first permanent European 
settlement city in the tropics. In 1951, Portugal changed Cape Verde's 
status from a colony to an overseas province in an attempt to blunt 
growing nationalism. Five years later, a group of Cape Verdeans, led by 
Amilcar Cabral, and a group from neighboring Guinea-Bissau organized 
the clandestine African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and 
Cape Verde, PAIGC, demanding improvements in economic, social, and 
political conditions in Cape Verde and Portuguese Guinea. This 
important action formed the basis of the 2 nations' independence 
movements.
  By 1972, the PAIGC controlled much of Portuguese Guinea despite the 
presence of the Portuguese troops, but did not disrupt Portuguese 
control in Cape Verde. It was not until the April 1974 revolution in 
Portugal that the PAIGC and Portugal signed an agreement providing for 
a transitional government composed of Portuguese and Cape Verdeans. On 
June 30, 1975, Cape Verdeans elected a national assembly, which 
received the instruments of independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975, 
making it the official national day of independence.
  For its first 15 years of independence, Cape Verde was ruled by one 
party. Then in 1990, opposition groups came together to form the 
Movement for Democracy. Working together they ended the 1-party state 
and the first multi-party elections were held in January 1991.
  Cape Verde enjoys a stable democratic system where 4 parties share 
seats in the National Assembly. It is an example to other nations as to 
what can be accomplished. These democratic changes meant better global 
integration as the government has pursued market-oriented economic 
policies and welcomed foreign investors.
  Today there are close to 350,000 Cape Verdean-Americans living in the 
United States, almost equal to the population of Cape Verde itself. 
These Americans hold a special right since the Cape Verdean 
Constitution formally considers all Cape Verdeans at home and abroad as 
citizens and voters. Thus, July 5th is a day of independence for all 
Cape Verdean-Americans as well as those in Cape Verde.
  Recently we celebrated the independence of our own country, 
reflecting on the personal sacrifices many have made to ensure our own 
freedom and democracy. It is fitting we do the same with Cape Verde and 
I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing all those with direct and 
ancestral ties to Cape Verde a happy Independence Day.

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