ABSTRACT
Cape Verdean cultural identity is shown to have been transformed into a source of political power. In 1991, the struggle for the icons of Cape Verdean identity was at least partially centered on the issue of a new flag. For Cape Verde, one may have pessimism about the drought and lack of natural resources, but the small-scale society and highly interconnected personal relations do keep the islands working as a totality. The search for Cape Verdean cultural identity may be seen as a struggle between competitive African and Euro-American powers. To address the issue of Cape Verde's political future, three models of political democracy are offered: populism, plural democracy, and Madisonian federalism. Political institutions and party leaders become more important than the daily expression of citizens' concerns, and each party exists on the basis of the issues it represents and the interest groups it serves.
