Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Sheilla Ribeiro
Published on 2024-03-06 14:57:58
The president of the Project for the Preservation of the Jewish Heritage in Cape Verde (CVJHP), Carol Castiel, believes that it is important to memorialize the arrival of Moroccan Jews to the country, highlighting the lack of documentation of this event in a country known for its cultural and ethnic diversity.
This statement was made today in the context of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the restoration of the Jewish Cemetery in Praia.
In statements to journalists, Carol Castiel stated that the Jewish section is very important because it represents the arrival of Jews, mainly from Morocco and Gibraltar, in the 19th century to Cape Verde, when it was a Portuguese colony.
The president of CVJHP emphasized the historical significance of these Jews in Cape Verde, highlighting their role in the economy and the promotion of religious freedom after the abolition of the Inquisition.
“It is very important to memorialize, because as Cape Verde is truly a multicultural, multi-ethnic country, to this day the arrival of these Moroccan Jews here in Cape Verde has not been well documented, and there are many traces left, these cemeteries are one of the only physical vestiges remaining, because the Jews, mostly men, married a lot with the women from here,” she said.
In turn, the president of the Praia City Council, Francisco Carvalho, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that “it is of extraordinary importance to celebrate the diversity of Cape Verde” and referred to the long history of Jewish presence in the country and their contribution to the culture and national development.
“In every moment of our daily life, of our history, the question of diversity is always present. Cape Verde emerges from the encounter of peoples and cultures, from the encounter of different destinies that cross beautiful islands, and Cape Verde emerges. And it is very important to emphasize that from Cape Verde other destinies in the world emerged,” he considered.
The Minister of Communities, Jorge Santos, highlighted the lasting influence of the Jews in Cape Verde, from the early days of its discovery to modern times.
As he stated, the Jews contributed to trade and the economic development of the islands, as well as their contribution to the national identity.
Santos also mentioned that the government values the preservation and valorization of Jewish heritage throughout the country, including the restoration of several Jewish cemeteries on various islands.
“Therefore, the Jewish presence was important and in 2017, when the government decided to transform Cape Verdean Jewish heritage and all the built, material, and intangible heritage, as being national historical heritage. This was a good moment and surely what we did today is another step, with the Cape Verdean Heritage Jewish Project and also with the collaboration of the Praia City Council and the Jewish Heritage Association of Cape Verde, to recover, pay tribute,” he said.
Read the original article(Portuguese) on Expresso das Ilhas
