05 - "Culture is in food, habits of the people, clothing and traditions, but especially in language."

Sun, sea and the beach. That is the main reason why tourists decide to go on a holiday to Ilha do Sal. Logical too. With the beautiful sea, the white beaches and the almost guaranteed sun, it is a very easy decision for many people to visit Cape Verde. Also on a beach holiday you get a small impression of what the culture of a country is. Culture is in food, in the habits of the people, in clothing and in traditions. All things that you consciously or unconsciously see during your holiday. But there is a bit of culture that you are immediately confronted with when you come out of the airport; language!

On a holiday in Cape Verde you can communicate in several languages. In general, you can make yourself clear in Italian, Spanish and English. If you speak Portuguese they will understand you immediately. Why? Creolo is a dialect derived from Portuguese. At school, the children are also taught Portuguese. They learn to speak Creolo at home with friends and family.

Have you ever thought about how much history there is in language? Languages are centuries old and continue to evolve. We believe the most beautiful parts of language are proverbs and sayings. They are different in all countries and to be honest: in Cape Verde you have really beautiful sayings that describe situations and/or events very aptly.

Our knowledge of the Cape Verdean language started very young. In a Cape Verdean household you speak only Creolo. As a result, you learn the language without noticing it. And what is a nice thing about it? The older generation uses a lot of sayings. We have learned a lot from it and we would like to share it with you. We have made tiles with the sayings and their meanings. This is a fun and special way to get to know the culture.

Perhaps there are sayings that are familiar to you and perhaps there is one that you are going to use now! Enjoy our language I would say!