“Flora” Gomes. I am also particularly grateful to Iva Cabral for her prompt response to my request for images of her father, which she generously provided, with kind identification of the photographers and the copyright holders. I remain beholden to my family, including my extended kindred in Guinea-Bissau, for their unfailing support. Ultimately, I take full responsibility for errors of fact and interpretation as well as translation of quoted Portuguese texts.
This book is dedicated to the young generation of committed nationalist and Pan-Africanist Cabralistas engaged in life-threatening struggles for social and economic justice, peace, prosperity, and the rights-based unification of the diverse peoples of Africa.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
| ANP | Assembleia Nacional Popular (People’s National Assembly) |
| CEA | Centro de Estudos Africanos (Center for African Studies) |
| CEI | Casa dos Estudantes do Império (House of Students of the Empire) |
| CEL | Conselho Executívo da Luta (Executive Council of the Struggle) |
| CFAO | Compagnie Française de l’Afrique Occidentale (French West Africa Company) |
| CLSTP | Comité de Libertação de São Tomé e Príncipe (Committee for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe) |
| CONCP | Conferência das Organizações Nacionalistas das Colónias Portuguesas (Conference of the Nationalist Organizations of the Portuguese Colonies) |
| CSL | Conselho Superior da Luta (Higher Council of the Struggle) |
| CUF | Companhia União Fabril (Union Manufacturing Company) |
| DGS | Direção-Geral de Segurança (Directorate-General of Security) |
| FAP | Força Aérea Portuguesa (Portuguese Air Force) |
| FARP | Forças Armadas Revolucionárias do Povo (People’s Revolutionary Armed Forces) |
| FLING | Frente de Luta pela Independência Nacional da Guiné (Front for Struggle for the National Independence of Guinea) |
| FLN | Front de Libération Nationale (National Liberation Front) |
| FLNG | Front de Libération Nationale de la Guinée (Guinean National Liberation Front) |
| FNLA | Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (National Front for the Liberation of Angola) |
| FRAIN | Frente Revolucionária Africana para a Independência Nacional das Colónias Portuguesas (African Revolutionary Front for the National Independence of the Portuguese Colonies) |
| FRELIMO | Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Liberation Front of Mozambique) |
| FUL | Front Uni de Libération [de la Guinée et du Cap Vert] (United Liberation Front [of Guinea and Cabo Verde]) |
| ISA | Instituto Superior de Agronomia (Higher Institute of Agronomy) |
| MAC | Movimento Anti-Colonialista (Anticolonialist Movement) |
| MDCP | Movimento Democrático das Colónias Portuguesas (Democratic Movement of the Portuguese Colonies) |
| MFA | Movimento das Forças Armadas (Armed Forces Movement) |
| MING | Movimento para Independência Nacional da Guiné Portuguesa (Movement for the National Independence of Portuguese Guinea) |
| MLG | Movimento de Libertação da Guiné (Liberation Movement of Guinea) |
| MLNCP | Movimento de Libertação Nacional das Colónias Portuguesas (National Liberation Movement of the Portuguese Colonies) |
| MMCG | Misión Militar Cubana en Guinea y Guinea-Bissau (Cuban Military Mission in Guinea and Guinea-Bissau) |
| MPLA | Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) |
| MUD | Movimento de Unidade Democrática (Movement of Democratic Unity) |
| MUDJ | Movimento de Unidade Democrática Juvenil (Youth Movement of Democratic Unity) |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| OAU | Organization of African Unity |
| PAI | Partido Africano da Independência (African Independence Party) |
| PAIGC | Partido Africano da Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde) |
| PCP | Partido Comunista Português (Portuguese Communist Party) |
| PIDE | Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado (International and State Defense Police) |
| PLUAA | Partido da Luta Unida dos Africanos de Angola (Party of the Unified Struggle of the Africans of Angola) |
| PRC | People’s Republic of China |
| PS | Partido Socialista (Socialist Party) (Portugal) |
| PSP | Polícia de Segurança Pública (Public Security Police) |
| SIDA | Swedish International Development Agency |
| UDEMU | União Democrática das Mulheres (Women’s Democratic Union) |
| UNGP | União dos Naturais da Guiné Portuguesa (Union of the Natives of Portuguese Guinea) |
| UPA | União das Populações de Angola (Union of the Peoples of Angola) |
| UPGP | União das Populações da Guiné dita Portuguesa (Union of the Populations of So-Called Portuguese Guinea) |
| UPLG | União Popular para Libertação da Guiné (Popular Union for the Liberation of Guinea) |
| USSR | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
Introduction
Amílcar Lopes Cabral was among the iconic political leaders of the twentieth century. A consummate nationalist and Pan-Africanist revolutionary, he masterminded the end of Portuguese rule in Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde and was also actively engaged in the anticolonial struggles in Angola, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The protracted