Amilcar Cabral and the Liberation of Guinea‐Bissau: context, challenges and lessons for effective African leadership

Abstract

Although the tragic drama still unfolding in Guinea‐Bissau may seem an affront to the memory of Cabral and his comrades, who paid the ultimate price for the struggle to liberate Guineans and Cape Verdeans from brutal Portuguese colonial domination, Amilcar Cabral remains a source of inspiration for the progressive forces of meaningful change not only in Guinea‐Bissau, but also in the rest of Africa. This article focuses on the colonial situation in Guinea‐Bissau that moved Cabral and his like‐minded comrades to embark on the high‐risk and life‐threatening road of armed struggle for the liberation of Guineans and Cape Verdeans.