Amilcar Cabral, who was the Secretary-General of the African
Party for the Independence of Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands
(PAIGC), was assassinated by Portuguese agents on January 20,
1973. Under his leadership, the PAIGC liberated three-quarters of
the countryside of Guinea in less than ten years of revolutionary
struggle. Cabral distinguished himself among modern revolutionaries
by the long and careful preparation, both theoretical and
practical, which he undertook before launching the revolutionary
struggle, and, in the course of this preparation, became one of the
world's outstanding theoreticians of anti-imperialist struggle.
This volume contains some of the principal speeches Cabral
delivered in his last years during visits to the United Siates. The
first is his speech to the fourth Commission of the United Nations
General Assembly on October 16, 1972, on "Questions of Territories
under Portuguese Administration." His brilliant speeches on
"National Liberation and Culture" (1970) and "Identity and Dignity
in the Context of the National Liberation Struggle" (1972) follow.
During his last visit to the United States, Cabral asked the
Africa Information Service to organize an informal gathering of
representatives from a variety of black organizations, and it took
place on October 20, 1972. The vitality, warmth, and humor with
which Cabral spoke to this gathering are evident in the transcript
which appears here, and which includes his replies to questions as
well as his opening remarks.
Finally, the New Year's Message of January 1973 is included.
As his last written statement to the people of Guinea and the Cape
Verde Islands, this constitutes the political testament of Amilcar
Cabral.
Included as well are maps, photographs, and suggestions for
further reading bearing on the struggles of the PAIGC and of the
liberation movements in Angola and Mozambique.