Political (In)stability and Research on Gender-Based Violence in Africa: Experiences from Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau

Gender-based violence (GBV) has become a prominent theme in feminist struggles across Africa (Medie 2019). A burgeoning literature has recently emerged as a result of debates about GBV in a variety of African settings, resulting in a multifaceted picture of the causes and consequences of GBV in the continent (Aroussi 2017; Ayiera 2010; Bennett 2010; Oku 2021). As laudable as this body of research is, certain lacunae are easily noticeable in respect to studying GBV in Portuguese-speaking countries, especially in smaller states such as Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau. With a few exceptions (Henriques et al. 2015; Moura et al. 2009; Mourão 2009; Silva 2021, 2022), these countries are often neglected in feminist research in Africa, especially in English-speaking circles. There is even less attention paid to the particular political settings of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau and how they affect feminist agendas around GBV.