Paper short abstract:

ALL OUR ENERGY COMES FROM THE OCEAN, THE WAVES AND THE SALT. [...]little roly-polies/ slender/ goden targets/ chocolate coloured/ rosie from the sun/ speckled with sand/ salty sea air // they run to the water/ / rolling with the wave/ that comes and goes/ at the sea's whim/ ...

Paper long abstract:

THE SEA CAN REALLY BE SEEN AS A SOURCE FOR THE THEMATIC POLYPHONY IN CAPE-VERDIAN LITERATURE. THE SEA HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ALL CAPE-VERDIAN WRITERS. WE WERE BORN SURROUNDED OF SOUNDS, RHYTMS, SMELLS AND ENERGIES OF THE SEA. I MYSELF LOVE PASSIONATELY THE OCEAN.

[...]"MORNA/ ISLANDERS SWEET SONG/ IN THE GENTLE WALTZING WAVES/ VOICE OF A POETIC PEOPLE/ PASSIONATELY EMBRASSING THE SEA/ [...]

CARLOTA DE BARROS (IN "DREAMT DREAM")

I FEEL THAT THE POET JORGE BARBOSA WAS A POET OF THE OCEAN. HE LOVED DEEPLY THE SEA AND EVERYONE WHO READS THE POEMS OF JORGE BARBOSA CAN FEEL THAT DEEP NOSTALGIA OF CAPE-VERDIANS, LIVING IN AN ISLAND SURROUNDED BY THE OCEAN, WISHING TO STAY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY WISHING TO LEAVE.

WE CAN READ HIS POEMS REMINDING HIM IN SANTA MARIA, LOOKING ANXIOUSLY AT THE WAVES. "[...] THE WAVES HAVE AN ENDLESS ANXIETY/ WHETHER REBEL / OR CALM/ SO THEY ARE JUST LIKE MY HEART /[ ...] JORGE BARBOSA (IN POETIC WORK")

I WISHED THAT THE SEA WAS CORN WITH ALL IT'S ENERGY: "IF ONLY ! THE SEA WAS CORN/ THE FERTILE LAND WOULD GIVE ITSELF PAINLESSLY/ TO THE MOST COLORFUL SEEDS/

CARLOTA DE BARROS