Cape Verdean National Heroes Day recalls death of Amílcar Cabral

National Heroes Day in Cape Verde, which marks the anniversary of Amílcar Cabral’s death and pays homage to those who fight for the country’s independence, will officially be celebrated on the island of Sal on Sunday.

[dropcap type=”default”]T[/dropcap]he Amílcar Cabral Foundation has prepared “a rich celebration program that includes playful and didactic activities in schools of various levels of education of the island, sports and cultural activities and the launch of the book ‘The Fight Created Roots’.

This is a set of writings and interventions by Amílcar Cabral, organized by Luís Fonseca and Olívio Pires.

On Sunday, the National Heroes Day starts with the raising of the flag by the Armed Forces in the Paços do Sal county, followed by the deposition of a wreath on the statue of Amílcar Cabral.

The central act of the commemorations will take place in the Paços do Concelho and will be presided over by Commander Pedro Pires, President of the Amílcar Cabral Foundation and former Cape Verdean Head of State, and by the Mayor of Sal, Júlio Lopes.

There will be a dissertation on “the historical role of the island of Sal in the processes of the liberation of South Africa, Angola and Namibia”, by Commander Silvino da Luz.

Music and poetry alluding to the date and delivery of prizes to the winners of sports activities and competitions that since the beginning of January have been marking the anniversary will take place later.

In the capital, Praia, activities are carried out by the Association of Freedom Fighters of the Homeland (ACOP), which begins the day with a wreath deposition and visits to the graves of freedom and homeland combatants in the Várzea cemetery.

Following is an open discussion organized by the African Party of Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), in the National Library.

The leader of the PAICV, Janira Hoppfer Almada, will mark this day in São Filipe, Ilha do Fogo.

In the Tarrafal de Santiago, the Municipal Assembly promotes an intergenerational conversation on January 20, with the participation of Ferreira Santos, a researcher on the history and culture of Cape Verde, focusing on Tarrafal, Mário Loff, a youth with contributions in the area of culture , and Ismael da Costa (James), a young rapper.

This conversation will take place in the Municipal Market of Crafts and Culture.

On January 20, 1973, Amílcar Cabral, the founder of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGCV, now African Party of the Independence of Cape Verde) was murdered in Guiné-Conacri.