Amílcar Cabral

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amílcar Cabral

Amílcar Lopes Cabral (September 21, 1924 – January 20, 1973) was an African agronomic engineer, writer and nationalist. Born in Bafata, Portuguese Guinea, son of Cape-Verdeans, he was educated in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal which was the colonial power that ruled over Portuguese Guinea at that time. While a student in Lisbon, he founded student movements dedicated to African nationalism. His half-brother was later head of state of Guinea-Bissau, Luís Cabral.

He returned to Africa in the 1950s, and began forming independence movements on the continent. He was instrumental in the formation of the PAIGC or Partido Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (Portuguese: African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde). He also worked to form a liberation party in Angola with Agostinho Neto.

Beginning in 1962, Cabral led the PAIGC in a military conflict against the Portuguese imperial forces. The goal of the conflict was to attain independence for both Portuguese Guinea and Cape Verde. Over the course of the conflict, the party won land gains, and Cabral was made the de facto leader of many parcels of land in Guinea-Bissau. In 1972, Cabral began to form a People's Assembly in preparation for an independent African nation, but a disgruntled former associate assassinated him with the help of Portuguese agents operating within the PAIGC on 20 January of 1973 in Conakry, Guinea.

Amilcar Cabral International Airport, Cape Verde's principal international airport at Sal, is named for him.

The most informative and balanced account of the Cabral and the PAIGC is "Warriors at Work" by Mustafa Dhada.

Amilcar Cabral's political thought and role in the liberation of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde is discussed at some length in Chris Marker's film, Sans Soleil.