For those interested in the fate of socialism in Africa, the history of Guinea-Bissau is of some consequence. It was in 1974 that the PAIGC (Partido Africano da Independencia da Guiné e Cabo Verde) achieved independence following its remarkable success during the war of national liberation. At a time when socialist hopes in Africa had begun to dissolve into despair, Guinea-Bissau stood as a symbol of African prowess, a political regime potentially more capable of sustaining socialist practices than any of its predecessors. Though in Mozambique and Angola (and later in Zimbabwe) the nationalists also emerged victorious from a war of independence, it was Guinea-Bissau which captured the imagination the most, both because of its achievements (political, military and moral) and because of the stature of Amílcar Cabral (founder and leader of the PAIGC), without doubt one of the most able and creative political leaders of modern Africa.

Today, there is debate as to whether the PAIGC in Guinea-Bissau has failed; whether indeed socialism in this small West African country remains as unattainable a goal as ever it was on the rest of the continent.