Amílcar Cabral

Guinean revolutionary leader who combined agroecology with anti-colonial struggle

Amílcar Cabral (1924–1973), a Guinea-Bissauan agronomist turned guerrilla leader, redefined liberation movements in Africa. Educated in Lisbon, he founded the PAIGC in 1956 to fight Portuguese colonialism. Unlike typical revolutionaries, Cabral emphasized cultural resurrection, arguing that reclaiming indigenous knowledge was key to decolonization.

He integrated sustainable farming into military strategy, teaching peasants to grow food amid war zones. His 1966 essay Weapon of Theory inspired global movements, from the Black Panthers to Latin American revolutionaries. Cabral's assassination in 1973, just months before Guinea-Bissau's independence, turned him into a martyr.

Today, his interdisciplinary approach—mixing ecology, education, and armed resistance—remains a blueprint for holistic social change.