Poderoza: An International Conference on Cape Verdean Women
Life is ironic. As someone who's always been infatuated with Black history (I minored in African American studies in college), learning about my families' roots has been a lifelong struggle.
I didn't know much where my family came from until I was 11 years old. After my maternal grandmother passed away, my mother very abruptly, told us our family is Cape Verdean and that we needed to learn more about our roots. I had never heard of such a place or such a culture and as an already awkward pre-teen, the timing was horrible.
Any time we attended a Cape Verdean cultural event, restaurant or festival, I constantly felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. I knew nothing about the music, I couldn't speak the language, I looked very different and despite my mother's encouragement to embrace this culture, many time I rebelled against it. But funnily enough, as I transitioned into adulthood this rebellion turned into longing. The more I learned about my grandmother's lineage, the more I wished I'd known it throughout my life and it's since become one of my greatest missions to better acclimate myself with Cape Verde and all its beautiful people.
Photo courtesy of Jess Evora
Earlier this month I had the great pleasure of attending a conference that brings together Cape Verdean women (Kriolas) from all over the world with a single mission in mind: empowerment.
Named after the Cape Verdean translation for “empowered woman,” the Poderoza International Conference on Cape Verdean Women highlights the work and accomplishments of Cape Verdean women throughout the diaspora while also focusing on efforts to end gender-based violence and elevating women's rights so that they are recognized as human rights.
Created by two amazing women, Dr. Terza Silva Lima-Neves and Dr. Aminah Fernandes Pilgrim, it is a platform where Kriolas can discuss accomplishments, resources and subjects specific to the Cape Verdean community. Now in its 4th year, over 150 women of all ages met at Providence College in Rhode Island on March 7th to partake in discussions and break-out sessions connected to this year's theme: "Our Stories, Our Voices."
Attendees of the 4th Annual Poderoza Conference. Photo courtesy of Jess Evora
I had the pleasure of hearing from a range of women doing impressive work both internationally and locally.
Our keynote speaker, Janira H. Almada, is a Cape Verdean politician and lawyer who served as the leader of the African Independence Party of Cape Verde (PAICV) from 2014-2016, which is the highest political position a woman can hold in Cape Verde. Almada answered many questions related to how she got into and rose through the political ranks but spoke most passionately of the commitment American-Cape Verdeans must keep in supporting our families on the islands in any way we can. Many in the audience lauded her as being highly likely to be Cape Verde’s first woman president.
The honorable Janira H. Almada (center) with conference founders Dr. Terza Silva Lima-Neves (right) and Dr. Aminah Fernandes Pilgrim (left). Photo courtesy of Jess Evora.
Following the keynote speech, over a dozen other Cape Verdean trailblazing women were honored for their respective community activism efforts from promoting breast cancer awareness and research, to working on our behalf at the state legislature level, to nonprofit, on-the-ground work. They discussed their work in our local communities and the work they’re doing or hope to do abroad.
Conference founders Dr. Terza Silva Lima-Neves and Dr. Aminah Fernandes Pilgrim. Photo courtesy of Jess Evora.
And despite still having the lingering feeling that I am too Americanized all these years later, at this conference I looked around this room full of beautiful African women, who are direct products of my motherland, and soon felt nothing but immense pride for sharing their bloodline. I realized that no matter how far removed, these women, these poderozas are still my kin.
