“In Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and several countries around the world, there are streets, squares, schools, airports and other buildings that bear the name of the hero Amilcar Cabral.
In Luxembourg – the country that welcomed my family in the 1970s and where a large community of Cape Verdean origin lives – the name of Amilcar Cabral is very little known.
The name is sometimes familiar but his ideas, his legacy and the impact he had on the world are not taught in schools.
As a Luxembourgish child and teenager, I dreaded history lessons during which Africa was “mentioned”. An indescribable uneasiness invaded me; because I knew that mine would always have the role of slaves, colonised people, poor and destitute, “losers”, whatever. No reason to be proud.
This is why I set out to discover my roots, our heroes and our common cultural heritage, starting at the beginning, Cape Verde and the father of the independence of Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau.
Before revealing the fruits of my research and sharing the essence of my meetings, I invite you to discover this short extract.
Other extracts from interviews will be added over the coming months and I invite you to discover them with us.