Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
War of Liberation
By the early 1960s African colonies were rapidly winning independence, but Salazar re-
fused to relinquish control. The result was a long and bloody war of liberation for Guinea
-Bissau and Cape Verde, fought on Guinean soil. Many Guineans were recruited to fight
for the Portuguese, essentially pitting brothers against brothers and neighbours against
neighbours.
The father of independence was Amílcar Cabral, who in 1956 helped found the Partido
Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PAIGC). In 1961 the PAIGC started
arming and mobilising peasants, and within five years controlled half of the country. Cab-
ral was assassinated in Conakry in 1973, but independence had become inevitable. When
Salazar's regime fell in 1974, the new Portuguese government recognised the fledgling
nation.
Independence
Once in power, the PAIGC government faced staggering problems of poverty, lack of edu-
cation and economic decline. In 1986 a coup attempt forced President João Vieira to
privatise state enterprises.
Intractable poverty and growing corruption under Vieira culminated in national strikes
in 1997, which spiralled into civil war. Vieira was killed in a 2009 coup and instability has
been endemic ever since, fuelled by deep tensions between the government and the milit-
ary, which includes ageing officers who fought in the war of independence. The squabble
for profits from Bissau's main cash cow - not the humble cashew, but cocaine - is a
symptom of these tensions.
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Culture
Despite grinding poverty, a severely damaged infrastructure and wide religious and ethnic
differences, Bissau-Guineans are generally united in their approach to the troubles in their
country - although tensions have brewed in recent years between the Balanta ethnic group
and rivals. While many feel detached from the military-government chaos, its impact is
felt on a daily basis, in everything from making banking transactions to the challenges of
the decrepit healthcare system.
Politeness and sincerity are deeply respected in Guinea-Bissau. Among the citizens of
neighbouring countries, Guineans are known as relentless partygoers, but people in
