Posted
on September 24, 2013
“We
are independent of you, Portugal.”
The
government of what was then known as Portuguese Guinea, in Western
Africa, made this declaration in 1973, but Portugal didn't
agree to the independence at first. Portugal was having its own
problems, though, and about half a year later its own government was
overthrown by a military coup. At that point, the world accepted
Guinea-Bissau as an independent nation.
There
are a lot of different ethnic groups within the borders of this small
nation (which is just a bit larger than the state of Maryland).
Because of this, there are many different languages spoken. The
official language is Portuguese (because it was a Portuguese colony),
but only about 14% of the population speaks that language. Far more
people speak Kriolu, which is a Portuguese-based creole language—but
most of the Kriolu-speakers also know one or more African languages,
such as Mandingas or Pepeis. What surprised me was that students in
Guinea-Bissau learn French in school!
Why
French, rather than Portuguese or some other language?
Guinea-Bissau
is (as I have already mentioned) a pretty small country, and it is
surrounded by French-speaking countries including Senegal and
Guinea.
This
nation is one of the poorest in the world, and it is having a lot of
trouble with political instability. Some leaders have been elected,
but not one has ever served his five-year term before being kicked
out, arrested, or even killed.
Also
on this date:
Plan Ahead!
Check
out my Pinterest pages on September
holidays, September
birthdays,
and historical
anniversaries in September.
And
here are my Pinterest pages on October
holidays, October
birthdays,
and historical
anniversaries in October.
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