A Hard Lesson from Memory Lane

Francis X. Maier describes the political and social atmosphere in Guinea-Bissau during the summer of 1981. While traveling from Dakar to Bissau, Maier observed a group of American teenagers participating in a three week cultural tour focused on African socialism in the former Portuguese colony.

Maier also spoke with an American embassy aid officer and his wife who were traveling with large quantities of canned goods. The officer noted that the lack of food in Bissau made it difficult for families living there. When Maier mentioned a coup that occurred in Bissau in 1980, the officer dismissed the event as not being serious, stating that only a few people were shot while others were simply reshuffled.