Remembering Amílcar Cabral: 10 quotes

Amilcar Cabral was an agricultural engineer, nationalist, Pan-Africanist, writer, and political leader. Born in Guinea-Bissau, Cabral was one of the leading figures in the fight for independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde.

He was educated in Lisbon, where he helped to form the Centro de Estudos Africanos (1948). In 1962 Cabral took his party into an open war for the independence of Portuguese Guinea. Cabral was assassinated in 1973, just eight months before Guinea-Bissau attained its independence and just over two years and a half years before Cabo Verde would also gain its freedom.

The nationalist remains one of Africa’s foremost freedom fighters, and anti-colonial leaders whose legacy influenced a generation of Pan-African nationalists and freedom fighters.

We pay homage to him by remembering the words he left us with in his quest to see the liberation, unification and development of Africa.

1. “Always bear in mind that the people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone’s head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children…” – Amilcar Cabral, Revolution in Guinea, written 1965.

2. “In Africa, we are for an African policy which seeks to defend first and foremost the interests of African peoples, of each African country, but also for a policy which does not, at any time, forget the interests of the world, of all humanity. Opening address at the CONCP Conference held in Dar Es-Salaam, 1965.

3. “Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories…” Revolution in Guinea: Selected Texts.

Amílcar Cabral, Photo: Wiki Commons

4. “In Africa we are for African unity, but we are for African unity in favour of the African peoples”. Opening address at the CONCP Conference held in Dar Es-Salaam, 1965.

5. “let us prepare ourselves too, each day, and be vigilant, so as not to allow a new form of colonialism to be established in our countries, so as not to allow in our countries any form of imperialism, so as not to allow neocolonialism, already a cancerous growth in certain parts of Africa and of the world, to reach our own countries.” Opening address at the CONCP Conference held in Dar Es-Salaam, 1965.

6. “Let us be precise: for us, African revolution means the transformation of our present life in the direction of progress. The prerequisite for this is the elimination of foreign economic domination, on which every other type of domination is dependent”. Speech made at the 3rd Conference of the African Peoples held in Cairo, March 25-31, 1961.

7. “We are for African unity, on a regional or continental scale, inasfar as it is necessary for the progress of the African peoples, and in order to guarantee their security and the continuity of this progress”. Speech made at the 3rd Conference of the African Peoples held in Cairo, March 25-31, 1961.

8. “Neocolonialism is at work on two fronts – in Europe as well as in the underdeveloped countries. Its current framework in the underdeveloped countries is the policy of aid, and one of the essential aims of this policy is to create a false bourgeoisie to put brakes on the revolution and to enlarge the possibilities of the petty bourgeoisie as a neutraliser of the revolution”. Revolution in Guinea.

9. “We do not confuse exploitation or exploiters with the colour of men’s skins; we do not want any exploitation in our countries, not even by black people…” Opening address at the CONCP Conference held in Dar Es-Salaam, 1965.

10. “The enemies of the African peoples are powerful and cunning and can always count on a few faithful lackeys in our country, since quislings are not a European privilege”. Opening address at the CONCP Conference held in Dar Es-Salaam, 1965.