"The dirty eyes of the crocodile cannot stop the canoe from crossing the river."
(Photo credit: panafrican.tv/images/)
Born: September 12, 1924
Murdered: January 20, 1973
Amilcar Cabral was the architect and undisputed leader of the Partido Africano da Independencia da Guine e Cabo Verde (PAIGC) & the national liberation movement in Guinea-Bissau. In the early 1950s, Cabral was employed as an Agronomist. Using this position, he went to every village in the entire country and from direct observation, came up with an analysis and strategy for the national liberation movement.
With others, he founded the PAIGC in 1956, and in 1963 their full-blown military campaign to overthrown Portuguese colonialism began. Within two years they had extensive liberated zones where they were effectively in power. In 1971, Cabral argued for the creation of the National People's Assembly, which was created in 1972 and based on a popular vote in the liberated territories.
In January 1973, just months before the victory of the national liberation struggle, Cabral was assassinated with the help of Portuguese agents operating within the PAIGC.
"We are fighting so that insults may no longer rule our countries, martyred and scorned for centuries, so that our peoples may never more be exploited by imperialists not only by people with white skin, because 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."
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