Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if there are more people who feel this way. I was born in the Netherlands to Cape Verdean parents. At home, we spoke the language and our culture was very present (such as in the food we ate, the music that was on, family gatherings, etc.).

The thing is, I've never felt very connected to my culture. I've never had much interest in the music, the culture, or the way of thinking in general. I also knew early on that I'd not be marrying a Cape Verdean man later (Spoiler alert: I didn't). Growing up, I just felt alienated and like I didn't belong.

I also did not have the best connection with my parents. My father had a drinking problem and died in 2020 during the pandemic, and I have no contact with my mother. I'm the one who tried breaking generational trauma and simply went my own way once I started growing up.

A couple of years ago, I did several DNA heritage tests (AncestryDNA, FamilyTree DNA, and MyHeritage) and found that I had a lot of Portuguese heritage (which obviously makes sense given Cape Verdean history). I have always felt very connected to the Portuguese culture and have even studied Portuguese, so I was honestly happy and content to find such a high level of Portuguese heritage in my DNA.

I honestly feel so much more connected to that culture and have tried to find ways to immerse myself in it without leaving out my Cape Verdean/Black history.

Is there anyone else who feels this way? Who do not feel connected to their (Cape verdean) culture?

Thanks!