Amílcar Cabral
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amílcar Lopes Cabral (September 21, 1924 – January 20, 1973) was an African agronomic engineer, writer and nationalist politician. Cabral led African nationalism movements in Guinea-Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands and led Guinea-Bissau's independence movement. He was assassinated in 1973 by dissidents of his own party, just months before Guinea-Bissau declared unilateral independence.
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[edit] Early years
He was born in Bafatá, Portuguese Guinea, son of Cape-Verdeans. His half-brother Luís Cabral would later become head of state of Guinea-Bissau. Amilcar Cabral 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.
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.
[edit] War for liberation
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 1973 in Conakry, Guinea. His half-brother, Luís Cabral, became the leader of the Guinea-Bissau branch of the party and would eventually become President of Guinea-Bissau.
[edit] Tributes
A book about Cabral and the PAIGC is "Warriors at Work" by Mustafah 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. A comprehensive book of Amilcar Cabral's Life and the PAIGC is "Amilcar Cabral: Revolutionary Leadership and People's War" by Patrick Chabal.
Amilcar Cabral International Airport, Cape Verde's principal international airport at Sal, is named for him. There's also a football competition, Amilcar Cabral Cup, in zone 2, named as a tribute to him.
[edit] References
- Soul Africa
- Sigal, Brad. Amilcar Cabral and the Revolution in Guinea-Bissau; City College of New York. Accessed 17 August 2006.
[edit] External links
- "The Weapon of Theory", a speech at the Tricontinental Conference in Havana, 1966
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Amilcar Cabral
- "National Liberation and Culture", a speech at Syracuse University in 1970
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de:Amílcar Cabral es:Amílcar Cabral fr:Amílcar Cabral gl:Amílcar Cabral it:Amílcar Cabral lt:Amilkaras Kabralas nl:Amilcar Cabral ja:アミルカル・カブラル no:Amílcar Cabral nn:Amilcar Cabral pt:Amílcar Cabral sv:Amílcar Cabral
