Two books that put you in Guinea-Bissau. One, The Ultimate Tragedy, is by a writer from Guinea-Bissau and set there. The other is a wider pick, by someone who knows the place well.
Little writing from Guinea-Bissau has been translated into English, and the best-known work is by the independence leader Amílcar Cabral. Portuguese is the official language, while Kriol, a Portuguese-based creole, is widely spoken in daily life, and much storytelling is oral. What reaches English readers centres largely on the liberation war against Portuguese rule in the 1960s and 70s.
Cabral's Revolution in Guinea collects essays and speeches on colonial rule, rural society and the armed struggle. Stephanie Urdang's Fighting Two Colonialisms, drawn from her reporting in the liberated areas, shows village life and women's roles as the independence struggle changed them. Mustafah Dhada's Warriors at Work draws on oral histories from peasants and fighters.
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The first Guinean novel shows rural communities caught between traditional authority and colonial power, with drought and upheaval shaping everyday life.
By long-time residents and outsiders who know the place well, or folk tales, poetry and history with a strong feel for Guinea-Bissau.
Speeches by the independence leader on culture, colonial rule and the rural society of Guinea-Bissau.
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