Amilcar Cabral (1924–1973)

Guinea-Bissau. A selection of political essays and related materials by Amílcar Cabral, architect of the revolution in former Portuguese Guinea. Though dense and somewhat repetitious, it underscores Cabral's contentions about colonialism, neocolonialism, the role of the petty bourgeoisie, the role of the peasantry/working class, and the question of whether a people exists in history if they do not meet Marxist criteria. His arguments are easy to follow, he is a smooth operator, and he manages to get his digs in at Portuguese colonialism as he makes other points to the UN and Tricontinental Conference.

This volume was published in 1969, before the establishment of Guinea-Bissau and four years before Cabral was assassinated. Given the year, he has much to say about colonial conflicts in Vietnam and Cuba as well.

I most appreciated Cabral's emphasis on the importance of understanding the characteristics and history of the culture seeking to liberate itself; he asserts frequently that one size of revolution will not fit all, so different strategies will be needed. Unusually for a set of political essays, there is more than one in which he describes the social and political structure of the local indigenous peoples, using these descriptions as the basis for revolutionary strategies that differ from those of straightforward Marxism.

Not an easy read, but a useful one, providing an intelligent insider perspective that also illuminates struggles in Mozambique, Cape Verde, Angola, and Vietnam. Worth the effort.… (meer)