The first general history of the archipelago available in English, set within a broader regional, oceanic and global tapestry.

The Cabo Verde Islands are now a popular tourist destination but, guide books apart, there is little in print in English that covers their history and culture. This book offers a readable account not only of the islands’ past, but also of their place in the wider story of the South Atlantic’s Portuguese-speaking communities.

First settled in the fifteenth century, the inhabitants of Cabo Verde were of diverse origins. Some came from Portugal, others arrived as slaves from mainland Africa, and a third element comprised Jewish exiles from the Iberian Peninsula. From the earliest days, the islanders developed a mixed Creole culture with its own Creole Portuguese language. They had close relations with people of the upper Guinea coast, where many of them settled, and with the Guinea islands. Meanwhile the archipelago became a hub of the Atlantic slave trade.

Cabo Verde has also had a strategic importance— its history has to be seen in a global context, broader than simply that of the Portuguese imperial story. Malyn Newitt also fills a major gap in the bibliography of Atlantic history, slavery and the history of the African diaspora in the Atlantic.

'This comprehensive and lavishly detailed history offers a window into a usually overlooked west African corner of the tropics. Packed with first-hand accounts and documentary evidence, this is an intriguing tale of how the culture of these Atlantic islands evolved.'

'From colonialism, slavery, and recurrent famine to tourist hub, cultural crossroads, and Africa's strongest democracy, the story of Cabo Verde is an extraordinary one. The country has found an able chronicler in Malyn Newitt. His absorbing text is a work of pioneering scholarship. This is a balanced and sure-footed investigation. It leaves no stone unturned in describing a multi-faceted Creole culture, and its powers of endurance and adaptation.'

'Capitalising on an exhaustive range of mainly Portuguese and English sources, both in terms of timespan and topics, this is an easy to read comprehensive new history of Cabo Verde. Focussing on Cabo Verde, the author contextualises its history with that of São Tomé and Príncipe, since the two Creole nations share similar trajectories. This inclusive approach provides new insights into Cabo Verde's unique history within the wider context of the South Atlantic.'

Malyn Newitt, the first Charles Boxer Chair in the History Department of King’s College London, has authored more than twenty books on African and Portuguese colonial history, including A Short History of Mozambique and The Zambezi: A History, both published by Hurst.