Albert Raneo And The President

 HARWICH – The ties between Cape Verde and Harwich have been tight over the last century and a half, and resident and Cape Verdean activist Albert Raneo has spent most of his retirement years working to strengthen the bond.

Raneo served the town as the highway surveyor for 18 years and another seven years as highway director. He has been active in the Harwich Historical Society and a leader in introducing people to the Cape Verdean history and culture that has helped make Harwich what it is today.

His contributions have been recognized locally and regionally. He was named Cape Verdean of the Year by the Harwich Cape Verdean Festival Committee. He has been honored by the Cape Verdean American Club in Providence, R.I., and he was the first interviewee for the Cape Verdean Oral History Project. He was inducted in the Harwich Hall of Fame in May.

That recognition extends across the Atlantic to the 10 islands that make up the archipelago of the Republic of Cape Verde. That was evident on Monday when President/Mayor Francisco Walter Tavares of the Island of Brava arrived in Harwich to visit Raneo.

  Raneo, 92, has been battling health issues, but when Tarvares entered the family home, Raneo lit up, his eyes sparkling, as his friend from Brava came to his side. The bond between Tavares and Raneo began to solidify in 2017 when Raneo was attending an event at Cape Cod Community College to promote the history and culture of Cape Verde. Didino and Risa Ramos of Yarmouth saw the flags of the Republic of Cape Verde. Their conversation with Raneo — who often traveled to Fogo, the island next to Brava, where his grandfather and his wife Josphine’s father emigrated from — led to the shaping of the friendship between Raneo and Tavares. Risa Ramos was from Brava and taught school there with Tavares before coming to the United States, and made the connection between Tavares and Raneo.

In 2019, after Tavares became president/mayor of Brava, Raneo put in motion a visit to Harwich and an opportunity for Tavares to meet with the selectmen and the general public. A public forum was held on Aug. 28, 2019 at the community center at which a proclamation was presented to Tavares and he spoke of the history and relationship of Brava and Harwich. It recognized the great contribution of Harwich leaders whose ancestors emigrated from Cape Verde, citing former State Representative Shirley Gomes (who was present at Raneo’s home on Monday), the late Police Chief John Raneo, political activist Mabel Canto and, of course, Albert Raneo.

 “In fact, the names Gomes, Fernandes, Raneo, Marcelline, Pina, Canto and more are etched in Harwich history throughout the decades. Harwich is a better place today because of the sense of family, respect, community and hard work that many have brought with them from Brava and Cape Verde as a whole,” the proclamation read.

The Raneos have traveled frequently to Cape Verde and had the opportunity in 2022 to take the boat from Fogo to Brava, known as the “Green Island” for its lush vegetation and flowers. Brava is the smallest of the 10-island archipelago, about seven miles long with a population of about 5,600. The island’s economy relies greatly on fishing and agriculture, growing coffee, beans, bananas and sweet potatoes. 

Albert Raneo likes to tell the story of arriving on Brava by boat and the president/mayor of the island being there in person to pick him and Josephine Raneo up at the dock. On Monday, Tavares was met by members of the Raneo family and select board members Chair Julie Kavanagh, Donald Howell and Jeffrey Handler. Police Chief Kevin Considine was also on hand.