Cape Verde: drought on the rocks

Press, 8 February 1985, Page 15

Cape Verde: drought on the rocks

By

RENE ODOU

of Earthscan

At first encounter, the islands that form the nation of Cape Verde offer one of the most distressing sights in all of Africa. What look like dry stones rise from the green ocean, belying the name which translates as “Green Cape.” For 10 years there has not been one single true rainy season. In some regions, people born in 1960 have never seen a heavy rain. The main streams have disappeared as the springs have dried up. Wells are going dry or turning salty as groundwater is depleted and sea water takes its place. Droughts are frequent but unpredictable. The worst one in recent years was between 1940-50 in which 45,000 people died. When the rains come, they fall torrentially, carrying topsoil into the sea and further impoverishing the land. Trees have died of drought and been cut by a growing population in search of firewood and timber. Herds of goats keep new seedlings from growing. Only 27 per cent of the rural population have easily available drinking water all the year round. In 1980, less than 10 per cent of the population had piped water, 40 per cent had access to public standpipes, and 50 per cent had no satisfactory access to water. Over 90 per cent of the islanders live off the land, and agriculture provides over 90 per cent of the Gross National Product. But as crops have withered in the sun, unemployed peasants have moved to towns. Today, agriculture provides only 10-30 per cent of required food needs. In 1982, the entire nation produced only 10 tonnes of maize. Average annual consumption of maize is 50,000 tonnes.

There is little fishing, so Cape Verde is short of protein. Fruit (except mangoes and papayas), fresh vegetables, and dairy produce are not part of the daily diet. It is not surprising that many Cape Verdians emigrate, all over the world. There are about 700,000 abroad, which is almost double the present population on the islands. But labour lost to agriculture does produce an important foreign exchange earner in the form of money sent home. So the archipelago boasts a strong currency — the Cape Verdian . escudo is stronger than the Portuguese escudo — as well as a surplus balance of payments, in spite of its lack of exports.

Despite the bleak prospects of getting a living from the soil, the nation is not sitting back living off foreign aid. As the French economist, Rene Dumont, said: “In the other countries of the Sahel, they talk about drought; in Cape Verde

they work to combat it, without needing to talk about it.” The Government’s call for general mobilisation was made under the slogan: “In Cape Verde, the only creative force is Man.” The people are constantly reminded that their survival depends on their commitment to all the reforms — agrarian, industrial, and administrative. The archipelago has become a vast building site with innumerable “work stations.” Roads are constructed by hand, without tar, with stones found on the spot and broken by hand. Schools and clinics are being built. The people — partly paid and partly through donating days of “free work” — are toiling to conserve soil and water by building dry stone dykes, terraces, and irrigation systems. Six million trees have been planted in nine years. The Government’s efforts to redistribute land and encourage cooperative farms have caused some friction, but the wishes of the small farmers seem to be fairly well respected by the Government. Cape Verdians feel they have a strong practical reason for avoiding over-dependence on aid, especially politically tied aid. Their Atlantic archipelago is coveted by the big powers as a site for a military base, and they do not want to become a pawn in global power politics. On this point President Aristides Pereira has said: “The struggle for development will be won when we have abolished the privileges which still underlie dominatingdominated relations and when the, sacred rights of people to inde-‘ pendence stops being contested.” So Cape Verde maintains diverse international links. China provides food aid and a parliament building. From Cuba comes medical help and. technical, administrative, and military training. Brazil gives medical and technical help. North Korea is building dams, administrative and sports facilities. Belgium, France, the Netherlands, West Germany, and the United States are financing rural development and water resources projects, along with educational and professional training. Italy has been invited to help create a national press agency; France is working on an experimental TV project. Meanwhile, the skies over this rocky outcrop remain blue, but farmers continue to plough and sow, as if they expected rain. In fact, many admit they expect a series of very bleak years. But they are also proud that on their islands — unlike in many drought-afflicted mainland African nations — survival has become a community exercise.