About
Djofa Tavares
Djofa Tavares, born and raised in a predominantly Cape Verdean community in Boston,
MA, is a 22-year veteran teacher in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) system. Deeply
influenced by her Cape Verdean culture, Djofa still resides in the Upham’s Corner area.
She earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Simmons University. In
2020, she founded Kriolu Basics, an online platform for teaching the Kriolu language.
Djofa published a dual-language children book, Tiagu and Vovo, in December 2022,
honoring her heritage and promoting Kriolu.
She is also working on a dual-language
folktale, poetry collection and a memoir. Additionally, Djofa serves as a copy editor,
writer, and poet for Mili Mila LLC, contributing to the first Cape Verdean Creole-to-
English dictionary and working on the second edition and a Kriolu learning app. Fall
2025, Djofa will teach Kriolu to children aged 5 to 17 for the city of Boston's Language
and Culture Preservation Program. She is passionate about promoting Kriolu and
supporting its official recognition in Cabo Verde and the diaspora.