January 20th: “Only great men generate controversy like Amílcar Cabral” – President of the Republic

In his speech during the central event commemorating National Heroes' Day, José Maria Neves stated that Cabral lived the spirit of his time, mobilizing and committing himself body and soul so that these two peoples were free and independent.

The President of the Republic stated that Cabral's work fortunately raises doubts, raises controversy and opens up possibilities for discussion, remembering that today there are studies, theses and debates about what Cabral wrote and did.

“Only great men generate controversy like Amílcar Cabral. Let us celebrate Cabral for his dimension as a politician, for his dimension as a strategist, for his thinking, for all his work at the service of Guinea, Cape Verde, Africa and the world”, he argued.

In his view, celebrating Cabral and the national heroes means remembering those who in decisive moments marked the destinies of this country, and expressing the right to gratitude to all those who donated their youth to the development of this archipelago.

“There is no possibility today for any party, for anyone to appropriate Cabral’s work because Cabral is the size of the world, and it is from this perspective that we must celebrate Cabral”, he said, suggesting that everyone should proclaim an Africa of peace, stability , and a safe Africa, taking into account the various challenges facing the continent and the world.

Therefore, he asked African leaders to have the same generosity, the same capacity for dedication and the same spirit as those who fought for Africa's independence.

For his part, the former Freedom of the Fatherland fighter, Pedro Pires, assured that the conditions and advantages that Cape Verdeans enjoy today as a nation and sovereign State, that is, independence, national dignity, political sovereignty and cultural and the ethical and political responsibility of assuming leadership is essentially due to the visionary contribution of Amílcar Cabral's generation.

“We didn’t fight against the Portuguese, our enemy was colonialism. Amílcar Cabral, our fighting companion, was an above-normal spirit, very lucid, restless and critical, endowed with a high ethical sense of commitment”, he considered, for those who worried him about the efforts and resources that would guarantee the victorious pursuit of the fight and building your success.

However, he recommended that other national goals remain to be successfully implemented, the results of which, he stressed, will largely depend on the way in which the new generation assumes its political and ethical responsibilities.

“And above all if they do so inspired by the same firmness and character and the same political will to serve the country and its greater causes”, he observed.

Today is January 20th, National Heroes Day, a date that honors former fighters of the country and remembers the death of Amílcar Cabral, considered one of the most charismatic, influential African leaders and a prominent figure on the African continent.

On January 20, 1973, the founder of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC, currently the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde – PAICV) Amílcar Cabral was murdered in Guinea-Conakry, eight months after the declaration of unilateral independence of Guinea-Bissau.

This year marks the 51st anniversary of the death of the man who marked the course of Cape Verde's history with the liberation struggle and who was recognized as the Father of Cape Verdean Nationality.