Regionalismo e Caboverdianidade: um diálogo entre Vidas Secas e a literatura do grupo Claridade (1947-1950)

Abstract

The Claridade magazine (1936-1960) is considered one of the main elements in the formation of Cape Verde's national identity. This African country was colonized by Portugal and historically had to deal with problems that involved not only colonialism, but also the climate. Due to its geographical characteristics, the African archipelago is subject to drought crises, which contributes to the emigration of a large portion of the population. These elements of the islands' reality led the Claridade group to generate a literature that is concerned with exposing the native drama. Brazil, especially the Northeast, served as inspiration for the Cape Verdeans due to its cultural and environmental similarities. The regionalism of authors such as Graciliano Ramos influenced the Claridade generation that was eager to create an identity project for their territory. Thus, this paper seeks to relate Vidas Secas to the Claridade productions in order to understand the impact of Brazilian regionalism in Cape Verde, as well as problematize the cultural confluence between the territories.