Photo: Malam Bacai Sanhá, president of Guinea-Bissau, who was interviewed in ARISE issue 8
Words: Ijeoma Ndekwu
Today Guinea-Bissau celebrates 37 years of independence and self-rule from Portugal.
It was a military coup in Portugal in April 1974 that brightened the prospects of freedom for Guinea-Bissau. OnSeptember 10, after a 12-year liberation campaign led by the charismatic Amilcar Cabral and supported by Cape Verde and Cuba, the nation won its independence from Portugal.
Guinea-Bissau’s post-independence history records periods of political instability and economic unrest. However, following the parliamentary elections in March 2004 and presidential elections in July 2005, the country is trying to recover from the long period of instability.
Guinea-Bissau is now under the leadership of Malam Bacai Sanhá who was elected in 2009 – and featured in ARISE Issue 8.
We wish Guinea-Bissau a joyous national day!