Luís Cabral
Encyclopedia
Luís Severino de Almeida Cabral (11 April 1931 – 30 May 2009) was the first President of Guinea-Bissau
. He served from 1974 to 1980, when a military coup d'état
led by João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira deposed him. Luís Cabral was a half-brother of Amílcar Cabral
, with whom he co-founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
(PAIGC) in 1956.
, Portuguese Guinea
, on April 11, 1931. He completed his primary school studies in the Cape Verde
archipelago, which was also a Portuguese territory at that time. Later on he would receive training in accountancy
.
against the Portuguese
authorities. Luís Cabral's rise to leadership began in 1973, after the assassination in Conakry, Guinea, of his half-brother Amílcar Cabral
, the noted Pan-African intellectual and founder of the PAIGC. Leadership of the party, then engaged in fighting for independence from Portuguese rule for both Guinea-Bissau (then known as Portuguese Guinea
) and for Cape Verde
, fell to Aristides Pereira
, who later became the president of Cape Verde. The Guinea-Bissau branch of the party, however, followed Luís Cabral.
Following a military coup in April 1974 at Lisbon, the new left-wing revolutionary government of Portugal
granted independence to Portuguese Guinea, as Guinea-Bissau, on September 10 that same year. The PAIGC had unilaterally proclaimed the country's independence one year before in the village of Madina do Boé
, and this event had been recognized by many socialist and non-aligned
member states of the United Nations
. Luís Cabral became President of Guinea-Bissau. A program of national reconstruction and development, of socialist inspiration (with the support of USSR
, China
, but also Nordic countries
), began. But some suspicion and instability was present in the party since Amílcar Cabral
's death and the independence. Relations with Portugal after independence were relatively good. The Guinean president visited Portugal in 1978 and President Ramalho Eanes visited the former colony the next year, referring to the Luso-Guinean relationship as a model for those Portugal sought to establish with Angola
and Mozambique
.
Some sections of the party accused Luís Cabral and the other members with Cape Verdean origins of dominating the party. Alleging this, Cabral's Prime Minister and former armed forces commander João Bernardo Vieira
organized his overthrow on November 14, 1980 in a military coup. Luís Cabral was then arrested and detained for 13 months.
, which offered to receive him, then (in 1984), in Portugal
, where the Portuguese Government received him and gave him measure to live with his family, until his death in 2009.
Shortly after being appointed Prime Minister following the Guinea-Bissau Civil War
, Francisco Fadul
called for Cabral's return from exile in December 1998. Cabral said in response, in the Portuguese newspaper 24 Horas, that he would be willing to return, but not while Vieira remained in power; Vieira had said that he could not guarantee Cabral's safety, and Cabral said that as a result he feared for his life should he return while Vieira remained president. On October 22, 1999, following Vieira's ouster, coup leader Ansumane Mane
invited Cabral to return, giving him a passport marking him as "President of the Guinea Bissau Council of State" while in Lisbon. Cabral was in Bissau in mid-November 1999, and said on the occasion that he did not want to become active in politics again or to rejoin PAIGC.
, Portugal. His death followed a long bout of illness.
The National Assembly of Guinea-Bissau stated: "It is with shock and sadness that the government and people of Guinea-Bissau have learnt of the loss of one of their most illustrious sons, Luis Cabral". It held an emergency session at which it organised a period of national mourning to last three days.
in the country, and supported a socialist model that left the economy of Guinea-Bissau
itself ruined. Similarly, the repression the authoritarian single-party regime he led imposed on the population and severe food shortages also left marks and, despite having always denied it, Luís Cabral was accused of being responsible for the death of a large number of black Guinea-Bissauan soldiers who had fought along with the Portuguese Army
against the PAIGC guerrillas during the Portuguese Colonial War
. One of the massacres occurred in the town of Bissorã
. After the military coup, in 1980 PAIGC admitted in its official newspaper Nó Pintcha (dated November 29, 1980) that many were executed and buried in unmarked collective graves in the woods of Cumerá, Portogole and Mansabá
.
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
. He served from 1974 to 1980, when a military coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
led by João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira deposed him. Luís Cabral was a half-brother of Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral was a Guinea-Bissauan and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, writer, and a nationalist thinker and politician. Also known by his nom de guerre Abel Djassi, Cabral led the nationalist movement of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Islands and the ensuing war of independence...
, with whom he co-founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde or PAIGC is a political party that governed Guinea-Bissau from the independence of the then Portuguese Guinea in 1974, until the late 1990s, and from 2004 to 2005. Currently it is the party with the largest number of seats in the...
(PAIGC) in 1956.
Early life
Luís Cabral was born in the city of BissauBissau
Bissau is the capital city of Guinea-Bissau. The city's borders are conterminous with the Bissau Autonomous Sector. In 2007, the city had an estimated population of 407,424 according to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística e Censos...
, Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
, on April 11, 1931. He completed his primary school studies in the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
archipelago, which was also a Portuguese territory at that time. Later on he would receive training in accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
.
Pro-independence guerrilla and Presidency
In the early 1960s, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) launched an anti-colonial guerrilla warPortuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War , also known in Portugal as the Overseas War or in the former colonies as the War of liberation , was fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies between 1961 and 1974, when the Portuguese regime was...
against the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
authorities. Luís Cabral's rise to leadership began in 1973, after the assassination in Conakry, Guinea, of his half-brother Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral was a Guinea-Bissauan and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, writer, and a nationalist thinker and politician. Also known by his nom de guerre Abel Djassi, Cabral led the nationalist movement of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Islands and the ensuing war of independence...
, the noted Pan-African intellectual and founder of the PAIGC. Leadership of the party, then engaged in fighting for independence from Portuguese rule for both Guinea-Bissau (then known as Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
) and for Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
, fell to Aristides Pereira
Aristides Pereira
Aristides Maria Pereira was the first President of Cape Verde, serving from 1975 to 1991.-Biography:Pereira was born on the island of Boa Vista. His first major government job was chief of telecommunications in Guinea-Bissau...
, who later became the president of Cape Verde. The Guinea-Bissau branch of the party, however, followed Luís Cabral.
Following a military coup in April 1974 at Lisbon, the new left-wing revolutionary government of Portugal
Movimento das Forças Armadas
The Movement of the Armed Forces was an organisation of lower-ranked left-leaning officers in the Portuguese Armed Forces which was responsible for the Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974, a military coup in Lisbon which ended the corporatist New State regime in Portugal, the Portuguese...
granted independence to Portuguese Guinea, as Guinea-Bissau, on September 10 that same year. The PAIGC had unilaterally proclaimed the country's independence one year before in the village of Madina do Boé
Boe, Guinea-Bissau
Boe is a settlement in the southeastern region of Guinea-Bissau. In this location the independence of Guinea-Bissau was declared on September 24, 1973...
, and this event had been recognized by many socialist and non-aligned
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
member states of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Luís Cabral became President of Guinea-Bissau. A program of national reconstruction and development, of socialist inspiration (with the support of USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, but also Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
), began. But some suspicion and instability was present in the party since Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral was a Guinea-Bissauan and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, writer, and a nationalist thinker and politician. Also known by his nom de guerre Abel Djassi, Cabral led the nationalist movement of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Islands and the ensuing war of independence...
's death and the independence. Relations with Portugal after independence were relatively good. The Guinean president visited Portugal in 1978 and President Ramalho Eanes visited the former colony the next year, referring to the Luso-Guinean relationship as a model for those Portugal sought to establish with Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
.
Some sections of the party accused Luís Cabral and the other members with Cape Verdean origins of dominating the party. Alleging this, Cabral's Prime Minister and former armed forces commander João Bernardo Vieira
João Bernardo Vieira
João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira was the President of Guinea-Bissau from 1980 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2009. After seizing power in 1980, Vieira ruled for 19 years, and he won a multiparty presidential election in 1994. He was ousted at the end of the 1998–1999 civil war and went into exile...
organized his overthrow on November 14, 1980 in a military coup. Luís Cabral was then arrested and detained for 13 months.
Exile
After the military coup in 1980, he was sent into exile, first in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, which offered to receive him, then (in 1984), in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, where the Portuguese Government received him and gave him measure to live with his family, until his death in 2009.
Shortly after being appointed Prime Minister following the Guinea-Bissau Civil War
Guinea-Bissau Civil War
The Guinea-Bissau Civil War was triggered by an attempted coup d'état against the government of President João Bernardo Vieira led by Brigadier-General Ansumane Mané in June 1998...
, Francisco Fadul
Francisco Fadul
Francisco José Fadul is a Guinea-Bissau politician who was Prime Minister from 3 December 1998 to 19 February 2000. He led the United Social Democratic Party , one of the country's main political parties, from 2002 to 2006....
called for Cabral's return from exile in December 1998. Cabral said in response, in the Portuguese newspaper 24 Horas, that he would be willing to return, but not while Vieira remained in power; Vieira had said that he could not guarantee Cabral's safety, and Cabral said that as a result he feared for his life should he return while Vieira remained president. On October 22, 1999, following Vieira's ouster, coup leader Ansumane Mane
Ansumane Mané
Ansumane Mané was a Guinea-Bissau soldier who led a 1998 uprising against the government of President João Bernardo Vieira, which caused a brief, but bloody Civil War....
invited Cabral to return, giving him a passport marking him as "President of the Guinea Bissau Council of State" while in Lisbon. Cabral was in Bissau in mid-November 1999, and said on the occasion that he did not want to become active in politics again or to rejoin PAIGC.
Death
Cabral died aged 78 on May 30, 2009 in Torres VedrasTorres Vedras
Torres Vedras is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, Portugal, about 50 km north of Lisbon. It belongs to the Oeste subregion and the Centro region.The municipality covers an area of 405.89 km² distributed over 20 freguesias...
, Portugal. His death followed a long bout of illness.
The National Assembly of Guinea-Bissau stated: "It is with shock and sadness that the government and people of Guinea-Bissau have learnt of the loss of one of their most illustrious sons, Luis Cabral". It held an emergency session at which it organised a period of national mourning to last three days.
Controversies
Already as the President of Guinea-Bissau, Luís Cabral tried to impose a planned economyPlanned economy
A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...
in the country, and supported a socialist model that left the economy of Guinea-Bissau
Economy of Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau is among the world's least developed nations and one of the 10 poorest countries in the world, and depends mainly on agriculture and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and...
itself ruined. Similarly, the repression the authoritarian single-party regime he led imposed on the population and severe food shortages also left marks and, despite having always denied it, Luís Cabral was accused of being responsible for the death of a large number of black Guinea-Bissauan soldiers who had fought along with the Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
against the PAIGC guerrillas during the Portuguese Colonial War
Portuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War , also known in Portugal as the Overseas War or in the former colonies as the War of liberation , was fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies between 1961 and 1974, when the Portuguese regime was...
. One of the massacres occurred in the town of Bissorã
Bissorã
Bissorã is a town located in the Oio Region of Guinea-Bissau.Population 11,964 .-History:After the abrupt independence from Portugal in 1974 due to the Lisbon's Carnation Revolution, many of the Guinean black soldiers that served in the Portuguese Army and who had fought against the independence...
. After the military coup, in 1980 PAIGC admitted in its official newspaper Nó Pintcha (dated November 29, 1980) that many were executed and buried in unmarked collective graves in the woods of Cumerá, Portogole and Mansabá
Mansaba
Mansaba is a Sector in the Oio Region of Guinea-Bissau....
.