Module 2: ‘The Living Soul of Marxism: A Concrete Analysis of the Concrete Conditions’
Class: Return to the Source: What Problems did Cabral Confront on the Path to National Liberation, and how?
Date & Time: Thurs, March 21, 6:30-8:30PM
Description: In this class, we will look at how, faced with the ravages of Portuguese colonialism, a society that produced dire economic, social and political conditions, Amilcar Cabral and the PAIGC spearheaded the Guinean and Cape Verdean Revolution, advancing the anti-imperialist struggle on African soil. Due to his analysis that was based on the unique material, historical and current conditions in both Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, two territories with their own histories and trajectories, Cabral and the PAIGC not only eradicated colonial domination in their homelands, but paved the way for the overthrow of the fascist Portuguese state. Although taking place in a rural African context, the liberation struggle led by Cabral is a prime example of the effective application of Marxist analysis and offers rich lessons for organizers across the world today.
Instructor: Desmond Fonseca, graduate student at UCLA with a focus on the PAIGC in the decolonization of Cape Verde and the party’s place in the global revolutionary era of anti-imperialism during the Cold War.
