Ordens, condecorações e medalhas de Cabo Verde
by Jorge Cólogan y González-Massieu
Apart for a brief mention in Stair-Sainty and Heydel-Mankoo's World Orders of Knighthood and Merit, this is probably the first work on the orders, decorations, and medals of Cabo Verde, which gained its independence from Portugal in 1975. It is a beautifully-presented book, with many hstorical images and maps from the islands' history as well as, of course, detailed images of the Republic's awards. After the author's introduction, in which he talks about how honours and awards have been used throughout history to recognise service to a nation and mentions that this year (2024) is the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Amílcar Cabral, a leading light in Africa's struggle against colonialism and in particular the quest of the Portuguese colonies of Cabo Verde and Guinea for their freedom, there comes a foreword by no other than the President of Cabo Verde himself, José Maria Pereira Neves.
Getting down to business, the seven chapters of the book cover not only the civil and military orders, decorations, and medals of Cabo Verde but place them in historical context. The first chapter, dealing with the origin of decorations and their connection with the fons homorum [fount of honour] provides a fascinating insight into the development of honours, particularly with respect to Portugal from the earliest times of the kingdom. The next chapter explores the first beginnings of an honours system in Cabo Verde including its legislative basis and with copious details of Portuguese awards granted to citizens of Cabo Verde.
We then learn, in Chapter 3, about the present-day honours system of Cabo Verde which dates from a 2010 review of the constitution and the establishment of distinctly Cabo Verdian awards. This begins with the Presidential insignia which, in a delightful nod to the Portuguese Ribbon of the Three Orders (Banda das Três Ordens), combines the insignia of Cabo Verde's Order of Amílcar Cabral (Ordem Amílcar Cabral) and Order of the Dragon Tree (Ordem do Dragoeiro). This short chapter is followed by Chapter 4 which opens with an even newer order, the Order of Liberty (Ordem da Liberdade), which was institued in 2020. Details of the insignia and terms of award are accompanied by images and notes on the establishing legislation. The aforementioned Order of Amílcar Cabral (Ordem Amílcar Cabral) and Order of the Dragon Tree (Ordem do Dragoeiro), complete with the same detail as well as design drawings. The Medal of the Volcano (Medalha do Vulcão) and Medal of Merit (Medalha do Mérito) round out this chapter.
Next comes an array of other civil rewards, primarily for services in specific areas such as tourism and agriculture, also municipal awards. The final chapter deals with military medals... and there's a ribbon chart at the end. One thing, I've not yet been able to figure out what the ribbon is for the Order of Liberty!
This is a fine work, comprehensive and scholarly in its coverage, introducing the orders, decorations, and medals of a little-known area of the world. Don't be put off that it's written in Portuguese alone - I could only hack out 'tourist Portuguese' when I started reading, my command of the language as well as knowledge of medals has improved greatly. If post-colonial medals interest you, get it. Now I know what the awards of Cabo Verde look like I have a greater chance of finding images for my website...
If you'd like a copy, contact the author direct at condecoracoes[dot]caboverde[at]gmail.com
Page last updated: 9 November 2024