TITLE:
Antonio da Noli and the Discovery of Cape Verde: A Legacy in Dispute: Italy, Portugal and Cape Verde
AUTHORS:
Luca Bussotti
KEYWORDS:
Discovery, Ideology, Historiography, Nationalism, Colonialism and Post-Colonialism
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Historical Studies,
Vol.9 No.4,
November
19,
2020
ABSTRACT: This study aims to shed some light on an ambiguous,
historical figure of Modern European and African history, Antonio da Noli, who
lived during the 15th century. Various sources presented Antonio da Noli as the
“discoverer” of Cape Verde, although other versions of history indicate the
Venetian Alvise da Ca’ da Mosto and the Portuguese Diogo Gomes as the possible
discoverers of this Atlantic archipelago. Additional sources defend that Cape
Verde was first discovered by African and Arab populations before the arrival
of the Portuguese navigators. This study, through a historical analysis of
primary sources of the same navigators here considered, as well as secondary
sources of Italian, Portuguese and Cape-Verdian authors, aims at presenting how
some of the historical dark points of the life and maritime adventures of
Antonio da Noli have been used by three fundamental historiographical
traditions, each with different political objectives: the Italian, the
Portuguese and the Cape Verdeans. The conclusion is that Antonio da Noli and
the discovery of Cape Verde left an ambiguous legacy which until today is in
dispute between nationalism, colonialism and post-colonialism.