Cape Verde
Total Population
539,560
Deaf Population
1,550
Number of Sign Language Users
Nation's Official Language
Portuguese, Kabuverdianu
Other Languages
The number of established languages listed in Ethnologue is 2. These are mentioned above.
Name of Sign Language
Cape Verdian Sign Language
Overview Of Deaf Community And Education
Cape Verde is an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands with a population of more than 500,000, in an Indian Ocean. In a census held prior to 2008, 1,500 deaf people were counted in Cape Verde. In the census of 2010, a much higher number of 4,000 deaf people were counted. Cape Verde has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
In 1997, a group of deaf children were brought together for the first time in Cidade da Praia by an association for disabled children. In 2010, a school for deaf children was established in Mindelo, Sao Vicente. Another deaf school was established in Praia, on the Island of Santiago.
Sign Language Overview
The sign language used in Cape Verde is called Língua Gestual Caboverdiana or Sign Language of Cape Verde. It is related to Língua Gestual Portuguesa (Portuguese Sign Language) and they are mutually intelligible. Língua Gestual Caboverdiana is widely used. Martins and Morgado (2016) have provided a first description of the language. At present, there is no sign language research going on at the university level.
Deaf Organizations In Country
Two associations for the deaf exist:
- Associacao Cabo-verdiana de Deficientes (ACD) and
- Associacao de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento e Integracao da Crianca Deficiente(AADICD)
Overview of Interpreting Services
A small number of untrained interpreters is available. Deaf people pay for interpretation themselves. There is daily interpretation of the news on television. There are short awareness courses targeted at teachers and families. There is no information on the use of sign language in health campaigns.
Resources
Martins, Mariana and Morgado, Marta (2016). Deaf communities in Portuguese - speaking African countries (pp. 136-154), in García, Barbara Gerner and Lodenir Becker Karnopp (orgs.) Change and promise: Bilingual deaf education and deaf culture in Latin America. Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press.
WFD (2008) Global Survey Report. WFD Regional Secretariat for Western and Central Africa Region (WFD WCAR). Global Education Pre-Planning Project on the Human Rights of Deaf People. World Federation of the Deaf. Finland.
List of Contributors
Mariana Martins, Marta Morgado, Victoria Nyst
