Cacheu is a town in northwestern Guinea-Bissau lying on the Cacheu River , capital of the eponymous region . Its population was estimated to be 9,849 as of 2008.
108-679: The town of Cacheu is situated in territory of the Papel people . The name is of Bainuk origin: Caticheu , meaning 'the place where we rest'. Cacheu was one of the earliest European colonial settlements in sub-saharan Africa, due to its strategic location on the Cacheu river . Cacheu developed a European/Afro-European population from the late sixteenth century through informal settlement of Cape Verdian and Portuguese traders, adventurers and outcasts ( lançados ). The authorities in mainland Portugal also sent to Cacheu degredados - people condemned to exile for
216-579: A liberal economy. Budget cuts have been made at the expense of the social sector and education. The country was controlled by the military council until 1984. The first multi-party elections were held in 1994. An army uprising in May 1998 led to the Guinea-Bissau Civil War and the president's ousting in June 1999. Elections were held again in 2000, and Kumba Ialá was elected president. In September 2003,
324-679: A migration from East Africa, and the conservation of this lineage is due to the short amount of time the Papels have been in Guinea-Bissau, further suggesting that Papels have not been in Guinea-Bissau for as long as previously believed. The presence of U5b1b in the Papel population represented a possible genetic link to the Saami of Scandinavia and North African Berbers , suggested to be due to post-glacial expansion. This U5b1b lineage suggests expansion coming over
432-514: A military coup was conducted. The military arrested Ialá on the charge of being "unable to solve the problems". After being delayed several times, legislative elections were held in March 2004. A mutiny in October 2004 over pay arrears resulted in the death of the head of the armed forces. In June 2005, presidential elections were held for the first time since the coup that deposed Ialá. Ialá returned as
540-533: A position to deny the free trade that the African kings demanded, as they had come to rely on European products and goods as necessities. The Portuguese were never able to maintain the monopoly they wanted; the economic interests of the native leaders and Afro-European traders and merchants never aligned with theirs. During this period the power of the Mali Empire in the region was dissipating. The farim of Kaabu ,
648-483: A second language. Guinea-Bissau Creole , a Portuguese-based creole , is the national language and also considered the language of unity. According to a 2012 study, 54% of the population speak Creole as a first language and about 40% speak it as a second language. The remainder speak a variety of native African languages. The nation is home to numerous followers of Islam , Christianity , and multiple traditional faiths . The country's per capita gross domestic product
756-510: A simple occupation of fortresses, which were threatened by the consequences of a new revolt more complete or more violent." Teixeira Pinto was the military officer entrusted by the Republican government to finally subdue the Papels, and in May 1915 Teixeira ordered the Papel to surrender their weapons and pay their taxes in the form of a letter to King N'Kanande Ka of Bissau. He rejected the demand, claiming that "The ground...will forever belong to
864-489: A tax that all traders had to pay to the king of Bissau, all traders were subject to this tax whether they were Portuguese, French, American or English. From 1683 to 1686 three Catholic missionaries oversaw a church in the kingdom in an attempt to Christianise the Papel population, due to conflicting interests and overlap between missionary work and trading this put them at odds with the Portuguese who in later years constituted
972-538: A variety of offences. In 1567 the English slaver John Hawkins raided the settlement. Due to such threats and a period of social conflict with their hosts the Papels , in 1589 the traders sought and received permission from the king of Cacheu to build a fort. They then abandoned the town and moved en masse into the new stockade in 1591 in an attempt to avoid the control of the local government. The Papels unsuccessfully stormed
1080-520: Is twinned with: 12°16′N 16°10′W / 12.267°N 16.167°W / 12.267; -16.167 Papel people Papels , also known as Moium, Oium, Papei, Pepel or Pelels, are an ethnic group primarily located in Guinea-Bissau , though are also found in Casamance ( Senegal ) and Guinea . Their population in Guinea-Bissau is about 183,000, with 9,000 living outside of
1188-610: Is considered the first Portuguese victory in Biombo in the 19th century. In 1884–1885 the Berlin Conference sought to partition the territories of Africa between the European powers of the time. The conference motivated the Portuguese to put more effort into subduing the population of Guinea-Bissau, due to the conference requiring a colony to be "effectively occupied" to be seen as legitimate. The Portuguese were not strong enough to defeat
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#17328520498921296-800: Is now Guinea-Bissau is poorly understood by historians. The earliest inhabitants were the Jola , Papel , Manjak , Balanta , and Biafada peoples. Later the Mandinka and Fulani migrated into the region, in the 13th and 15th centuries, respectively. They pushed the earlier inhabitants towards the coast and onto the Bijagos islands . The Balanta and Jola had weak or non-existent institutions of kingship but emphasised decentralization, with power invested in heads of villages and families. The Mandinka, Fula, Papel, Manjak, and Biafada chiefs were vassals to kings. The customs, rites, and ceremonies varied, but nobles commanded all
1404-590: Is one of the lowest in the world . Guinea-Bissau is a member of the United Nations , African Union , Economic Community of West African States , Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , Community of Portuguese Language Countries , Organisation internationale de la Francophonie , and the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone . It was also a member of the now-defunct Latin Union . The deep history of what
1512-530: The Cacheu Fort . Friendly relations carried on until the reign of King Bacompol Co (1687–1696). Evidenced by the exchanging of gifts between Fr. Francisco de Pinhel and the king, friendly relations were to carry on for another six to seven years. The aware of the benefits of trade allowed all Europeans ships into his ports, an example was the French in which negotiations between the French official De la Courbe, and
1620-478: The Mali Empire . Parts of this kingdom persisted until the 18th century, while a few others had been under some rule by the Portuguese Empire since the 16th century. In the 19th century, it was colonised as Portuguese Guinea . Portuguese control was restricted and weak until the early 20th century, when its pacification campaigns solidified Portuguese sovereignty in the area. The final Portuguese victory over
1728-516: The New World . Kaabu was established first as a province of Mali through the conquest in the 13th century of the Senegambia by Tiramakhan Traore , a general under Sundiata Keita . By the 14th century much of Guinea Bissau was under the administration of Mali. It was ruled by a farim kaabu (commander of Kaabu). Mali declined gradually, beginning in the 14th century. By the early 16th century,
1836-502: The Republic of Guinea-Bissau (Portuguese: República da Guiné-Bissau [ʁɛˈpuβlikɐ ðɐ ɣiˈnɛ βiˈsaw] ), is a country in West Africa that covers 36,125 square kilometres (13,948 sq mi) with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to its north and Guinea to its southeast . Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kingdom of Kaabu , as well as part of
1944-568: The 1860s. The dispute over the status of Bolama was resolved in Portugal's favor through the mediation of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant in 1870, but French encroachment on Portuguese claims continued. In 1886 the Casamance region of what is now Senegal was ceded to them. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) was founded in 1956 under the leadership of Amílcar Cabral . Initially committed to peaceful methods,
2052-592: The 1959 Pidjiguiti massacre pushed the party towards more militarized tactics, leaning heavily on the political mobilization of the peasantry in the countryside. After years of planning and preparing from their base in Conakry , the PAIGC launched the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence on 23 January 1963. Unlike guerrilla movements in other Portuguese colonies , the PAIGC rapidly extended its control over large portions of
2160-525: The Americas, demand for workers was high and the Europeans sometimes pushed for more captives to be taken. The Bijagos were mostly safe from enslavement, as they were out of reach of mainland slave raiders. Europeans avoided having them as slaves. Portuguese sources say the children made good slaves but not the adults, who were likely to commit suicide , lead rebellions aboard slave ships, or escape once reaching
2268-555: The British in Gambia and French in Goreia. French assistance arrived on 4 October in the form of a corvette ship stationed on the coast of Bissau. It was positioned there for 12 days, where it continued a series of successful bombardments of the coastal villages and liberated the Portuguese trading post. After the French departure on 16 October, British forces arrived, playing a smaller part than
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#17328520498922376-415: The French but making their presence known. An American ship was also ported at Bissau under the command of a T.W. Freelon. In the face of Portuguese, English, and French forces, the Papel forces carried on with their hostilities up until 19 December 1844, when a peace treaty between the Portuguese and Papels was signed. The peace treaty involved a ceasefire on the Portuguese side. During the time of peace
2484-491: The Kingdom of Bissau was founded by the son of the king of Quinara (Guinala), who moved to the area with his pregnant sister, six wives, and subjects of his father's kingdom. Relations between the kingdom and the Portuguese colonisers were initially warm, but deteriorated over time. The kingdom strongly defended its sovereignty against the Portuguese 'Pacification Campaigns', defeating them in 1891, 1894, and 1904. However, in 1915
2592-520: The Papel forces, nor able to bring any of the vassal states or Kingdom of Bissau into "effective occupation". The Papel territory of Bissau was in a constant state of intense warfare, particularly from 1884 to 1915, because of Portuguese and Papel forces. On 14 February 1891, when the Portuguese called a meeting to adjust the current peace treaty between them, Antula, Intim and for them to submit to Portuguese authority of which only chiefs of Antula agreed to. This situation caused war to break out with
2700-399: The Papel people". Teixeira was furious and on 13 May he declared war on the Kingdom of Bissau. Hostilities began on 29 May where observing a shuttle of boats from a river bank Papel forces began unleashing gunfire on to Portuguese troops, in response Portuguese troops set machine gun fire on them. Teixeira gave the orders to continuously bombard the territory of Antula. On 31 May an attack
2808-406: The Papels descended upon them from the heights of Intim by the thousands. However, with no real success up to this point, Pinto marched on Bandim and Intim on 5 June with a large collection of artillery, and with a force of 1500 soldiers consisting of Fula's and other indigenous conscripts. This was to cover Abdul Injai who was marching on Antula. The Papels tried to defend their position through
2916-509: The Papels would trade with foreigners "over his dead body". In response, Incinha Te sentenced Pinheiro to death. Inside the unfinished fort Pinheiro and his forces were besieged by Papel forces and cut off from food and water. However, rapid assistance from Cacheu and Geba was forthcoming in the form of Captain Santos de Vidigal Castanho with a force of more than 400 troops. A settlement was negotiated between Castanho's and Incinha Te's nobles under
3024-435: The Portuguese another defeat, this led to Papel warriors replacing their necklaces usually decorated with beads with the teeth of their fallen enemies. The relationship between the Papels and Portuguese were so sour that the Papels would watch the fortress continuously, waiting for people to leave, this occurred when a Cape Verdean left the fortress and was set upon by Papels and killed, they were reported to then of gathered at
3132-451: The Portuguese due to an event in which Barreira encountered a king in Bissau in the year 1605. The relationship as mentioned was pleasant with King Equendé ruling in 1663, relations were so friendly Lemos Coelho encouraged a movement of persons from Cacheu to Bissau due to the excellent treatment of Lançados in the Kingdom of Bissau. In 1680, Papel forces aided in the Portuguese liberation of
3240-471: The Portuguese forces reorganised and requested more military units from Cape Verde. On arrival the Cape Verdean forces performed a surprise attack, reigniting the war with the Papels. A new governor, Pedro Ignácio de Gouveia, was installed on 17 December 1881, with the main aim of subduing the populations of Guinea-Bissau. These aims were called the "Pacification Campaigns" and saw a push to subdue and force
3348-617: The Portuguese launched the Company of Cacheu and Rivers and Commerce of Guinea , the first of several that tried and failed to control the trade of slaves from Cacheu to the New World.In 1684 a prominent lancado trader, Bibiana Vaz , even captured the captain-major and imprisoned him at Farim for 14 months. When representative of the Company arrived the 'Republic of Cacheu' refused to let them land, demanding control over trade and direct communication with
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3456-531: The Portuguese more weapons, missionaries, footstools, a bed, a sun hat and a gown. He gave eight of his sons to the Cape Verdean Bishop to be educated. The eldest son, Batonto, was sent to Lisbon for his baptism , where the king of Portugal was named his godfather , and he was given the new name of 'Manuel'. In 1696 in consequence of the kings decision to allow the construction of the Fort of Bissau, Bissau
3564-678: The Portuguese under the command of Officer Teixeira Pinto and warlord Abdul Injai fully absorbed the kingdom. The Biafada people inhabited the area around the Rio Grande de Buba in three kingdoms: Biguba , Guinala , and Bissege. The former two were important ports with significant lançado communities. They were subjects of the Mandinka mansa of Kaabu. In the Bijagos Islands , people of different ethnic origins tended to settle in separate settlements. Great cultural diversity developed in
3672-668: The Portuguese-built 16th century fort , dating from the period when Cacheu was a centre for the slave trade . For more history, one can also visit the Cacheu Memorial of Slavery & Black Traffic memorial museum (Memorial da Escravatura e Tráfico Negreiro de Cacheu). Other attractions in the town include the Cacheu River Mangroves Natural Park and a regular market . The market serves the surrounding areas which export coconuts , palm oil and rice . Cacheu
3780-488: The Portuguese. The construction of forts were seen as a way to counter the issue of sovereignty in the area, and even when permission was granted by the Kings of Bissau it was never made easy. The Papels refused to provide the Portuguese with any labour or raw material to aid in the construction of their forts, and at times even water would be withheld from the Portuguese. These forts were seen as an encroachment on Papel land, but
3888-442: The Republican take over and reformation of Portugal in 1910 changes to the colonial approach in Guinea-Bissau were implemented, such changes were necessary due to the situation in the colony which is summarised in the writings of Portuguese military officer Teixeira Pinto : … notwithstanding the heroic battles of some Portuguese, after setbacks and cruel massacres to our prestige, our [Portuguese] colony of Guiné had returned to being
3996-421: The already fragile relations between the Portuguese and Papel came to a boiling point when Pinheiro turned away two English ships from the port of Bissau. Incinha Te dispatched his governor and three nobleman to confront Pinheiro. Pinheiro claimed that he was doing the duty asked of him by the king of Portugal, and the Portuguese presence was a benefit to the Papels. During a subsequent confrontation, Pinheiro said
4104-490: The archipelago. Bijago society was warlike. Men were dedicated to boatbuilding and raiding the mainland, attacking the coastal peoples as well as other islands. They believed that at sea they had no king. Women cultivated the land, constructed houses, and gathered and prepared foods. They could choose their husbands, and warriors with the best reputations ranked at the top of respected status. Successful warriors could have many wives and boats, and were entitled to one third of
4212-501: The area of Bissau alongside him. From his sister and six wives seven main Papel clans arose. The Kingdom of Bissau and the vassal states that belonged to the Papel in the Biombo used a matrilineal line of succession, in which the son of the sovereign's maternal sister was next in line for kingship, or to the nearest male relative in the King's maternal grandparents' line. Individuals would inherit their mother's clan name, although in later times
4320-509: The area thereafter. But some smaller Mandinka kingdoms survived until their absorption into Portuguese colonies. The first Europeans to reach Guinea-Bissau were the Venetian explorer Alvise Cadamosto in 1455, Portuguese explorer Diogo Gomes in 1456, Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco Pareira in the 1480s, and Flemish explorer Eustache de la Fosse in 1479–1480. Although the Portuguese authorities initially discouraged European settlement on
4428-531: The areas of Bor, Safim, Bijimita, and Biombo. The wars against the Papel were some of the bloodiest wars in the whole campaign, according to Abdul Injai, an important warlord whose assistance was instrumental in the conquest of Guinea-Bissau. The Papel people live traditionally around the city of Bissau , in the Biombo Region . They are linguistically and culturally close to mankagnes and Manjack or Manjacas. They are traditionally farmers. So, they have one of
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4536-401: The arrival of general governor Francisco de Paula Bastos and several high-ranking officials from Cape Verde. On 11 September the king of Intim, a king from a vassal state to the king of Bissau, was expelled from the Portuguese trading post, and in the following altercation a Papel man was killed by Portuguese soldiers. The Papels retaliated, attacking people inside the fort, sacking several of
4644-541: The bishop supported Toro Co instead of him. Relations were also sour between Jose Pinheiro and the bishop, which culminated in November 1696, when escaped slaves from the fort fled into Balanta territory under the pursuit of four Portuguese and several indigenous soldiers. Two soldiers drowned and the rest were captured by the Balanta. The bishop went to Balanta territory to ransom the soldiers, and on his return an assassination
4752-454: The candidate for the PRS, claiming to be the legitimate president of the country, but the election was won by former president João Bernardo Vieira , deposed in the 1999 coup. Vieira beat Malam Bacai Sanhá in a run-off election. Sanhá initially refused to concede, claiming that tampering and electoral fraud occurred in two constituencies including the capital, Bissau. Foreign monitors described
4860-407: The condition that Pinheiro be removed as captain. Four days later Pinheiro fired on a Dutch ship coming into port. Incinha Te warned Pinheiro if he carried on the walls of the fort would be pulled down and the occupants beheaded. On 5 February Pinheiro was captured by Incinha Te, imprisoned, and executed. Rodrigo de Fonseca, the successor captain to Pinheiro, improved relations with the Papels. He
4968-424: The construction of a French fort in the area, mirroring the previous response the French were denied. The mid-18th century saw the return of the Portuguese to Bissau, in an attempt to carry on with the construction of their former fort. These plans were protested by the Papel, leading to several violent confrontations, in which the Papel suffered around 500 casualties, leading to a Portuguese victory. A peace treaty
5076-466: The country, according to the advocacy group Swisspeace . Military leaders in the country pledged to respect the constitutional order of succession. National Assembly Speaker Raimundo Pereira was appointed as an interim president until a nationwide election on 28 June 2009. It was won by Malam Bacai Sanhá, against Kumba Ialá as the presidential candidate of the PRS. On 9 January 2012, President Sanhá died of complications from diabetes, and Pereira
5184-516: The country. They traditionally engaged in hunting and agriculture. According to oral history, a man named Mecau, the son of a king from the Kingdom of Quinara on the south of the river Geba , arrived at Bissau on one of his hunting trips. He opted to reside there due to its fertile soil and established a kingdom. From Quinara he brought his pregnant sister Punguenhum and his six wives: Intende, Djokom, Mala, Intsoma, Kliker and Intchipolo. Mecau invited other subjects from his father's kingdom to settle
5292-491: The crown from the king of Guinala, who acquiesced, and he found another noble to perform the coronation for him. Incinha Te marched to Bissau and seized its port, boycotting trade with Toro Co. After gaining support from Barnabé Lopez and a large amount of the Afro-Portuguese community, he was able to oust Toro Co as the king and make himself the sole ruler of Bissau. In contrast to Portuguese fears, Incinha Te did support
5400-475: The earlier assassination of the captain-major of Cacheu, the first of a series of 'pacification campaigns' that would culminate in the final conquest of the region in 1914. As Portuguese Guinea expanded and solidified, however, towns such as Bolama , Bissau and Canchungo became administrative centers at the expense of Cacheu. Roads in the town are paved with oil palm kernels. Notable buildings in Cacheu include
5508-621: The early 17th century the government attempted to force all Guinean trade to go through Santiago , and to promote trade and settlement on the mainland, while restricting the sale of weapons to the locals. These efforts were largely unsuccessful. With the end of the Iberian Union in 1640, King João IV attempted to restrict the Spanish trade in Guinea that had flourished for the previous 60 years. Afro-Portuguese traders and colonists, however, were not in
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#17328520498925616-407: The eastern Geba region. The slave trade dominated the economy, and the warrior classes grew rich with imported cloth, beads, metalware, and firearms. Trade networks with Arabs and others to North Africa were dominant up to the 14th century. In the 15th century, coastal trade with the Europeans began to increase. In the 17th and 18th centuries an estimated 700 slaves were exported annually from
5724-422: The elections as "calm and organized", despite some reports of arms entering the country prior to the election and few "disturbances during campaigning", including attacks on government offices by unidentified gunmen. Three years later, Sanhá's PAIGC won a strong parliamentary majority, with 67 of 100 seats, in the parliamentary election held in November 2008. In November 2008, President Vieira's official residence
5832-525: The expanding power of Koli Tenguella cut off formerly secure Mali. Kaabu became an independent federation of kingdoms. The ruling classes were composed of elite warriors known as the Nyancho (Ñaanco) who traced their patrilineal lineage to Tiramakhan Traore. The Nyancho were a warrior culture , reputed to be excellent cavalry men and raiders. The Kaabu Mansaba was seated in Kansala, today known as Gabu , in
5940-499: The father's name could and would be taken. DNA studies The paternal lineage of the Papels is suggested to be distinct within the Guinean population, with E1-M33 discovered in high frequencies amongst the Papels. L3e2b was more exclusively found in the Papel, this haplogroup resembles haplogroups found in East and Central Africa. These findings conclude that in the Papel history there was
6048-541: The first Christian king of Bissau. This conversion allowed for even closer relations between the Portuguese and Papels with the Portuguese request of a fort being accepted, and the king being willing to keep out other Europeans from his ports in favour of sole Portuguese trade. The concession of the Portuguese fort was significant as earlier in 1687 the fort was attempted but overthrown by the king of Bissau's troops. Soon after, Bacompol Co wrote to King Peter II of Portugal informing him of his conversion and requesting from
6156-566: The first elected president to complete his five-year mandate. At the same time, he was eliminated in the first round of the 2019 presidential elections , ultimately seeing Umaro Sissoco Embaló emerge as the victor. Embaló, the first president to be elected without the backing of the PAIGC, took office in February 2020. On 1 February 2022, there was an attempted coup d'état to overthrow President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. On 2 February 2022, state radio announced that four assailants and two members of
6264-459: The fort before an agreement was reached allowing cohabitation. The fort did not have a secure water supply, however, and the locals used their control over water to pressure the Portuguese into trade concessions. In 1598 a resident priest was appointed, and in 1605 the settlement was offered a municipal charter by the Portuguese crown. At this time the settlement had around 1500 inhabitants, of whom 500 were white. A new fort, which still stands today,
6372-434: The furthest navigable point. These posts traded directly with the peoples of the interior for resources such as gum arabic , ivory , hides, civet , dyes, enslaved Africans, and gold. Local African rulers generally refused to allow Europeans into the interior, to ensure their own control of trade routes and goods. Disputes became increasingly frequent and serious in the late 1500s as the foreign traders sought to influence
6480-471: The granting of them in name allowed commerce to continue. To the Portuguese the abandoning of the fort made the most sense in light of all these issues, only further accentuated by the sporadic rebellions to their presence by the Papels, and at this time Mandinka in Farim . In 1701 the Fort of Bissau was abandoned for the Fort of Cacheu. At the time the French attempted to negotiate with Incinha Te to allow
6588-521: The host societies to their benefit. Meanwhile, the Portuguese monopoly, always leaky, was being increasingly challenged. In 1580 the Iberian Union unified the crowns of Portugal and Spain . Spain's enemies launched attacks on Portuguese possessions in Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde. French, Dutch, and English ships increasingly came to trade with the natives and the independent-minded lançados . In
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#17328520498926696-464: The king ending in the refusal of the construction of a French fort, construction of a trading factory was permitted, and south of the Gambia the kingdom became the French trading centre. Between 1685 and 1688 the French trading factory exported around 2,800 slaves from the area. The main exports traded between the kingdom and the Europeans were slaves , wax , and ivory . The trade was characteristic of
6804-446: The king of Kassa , and other local rulers began to assert their independence. In the early 1700s the Portuguese abandoned Bissau and retreated to Cacheu after the captain-major was captured and killed by the local king. They did not return until the 1750s. Meanwhile, the Cacheu and Cape Verde Company shut down in 1706. For a brief period in the 1790s, the British tried to establish a foothold on Bolama Island . Guinea-Bissau
6912-434: The king, and crowned Toro Co, making him the rightful king of Bissau. However the issue was not solved, as the king of Guinala also had rights to the throne of Bissau. It was customary after two to three years of ruling for the king of Bissau to request a crown from the king of Guinala. However, Bacompol Co ruled for nine years without doing so, using the crown of his predecessors instead. Incinha Te with his troops requested
7020-404: The king. A triumvirate, which included Bibiana's brother, ruled the town "in the name of the people", meaning the Afro-Portuguese traders for several months before the company regained control. The condition of the garrison deteriorated progressively from the latter part of the 17th century up through the 19th. In 1878, a reinforced Portuguese force successfully attacked Cacanda in retaliation for
7128-493: The last remaining bastion of mainland resistance came in 1915, with the conquest of the Papel -ruled Kingdom of Bissau by the Portuguese military officer Teixeira Pinto and the Wolof mercenary Abdul Injai . The Bissagos , islands off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, were officially conquered in 1936, ensuring Portuguese control of both the mainland and islands of the region. Upon independence, declared in 1973 and recognised in 1974,
7236-456: The late 18th century, European countries gradually began slowing and/or abolishing the slave trade. Portugal abandoned slavery in 1869 and Brazil in 1888, but a system of contract labor replaced it that was only barely better for the workers. Up until the late 1800s, Portuguese control of their 'colony' outside of their forts and trading posts was a fiction. Guinea-Bissau became the scene of increased European colonial competition beginning in
7344-423: The local waters. On 24 February 120 Portuguese troops accompanied by five officers marched into Papel territory, the troops were crushed by the Papels and forced to retreat. On 9 March that year the Portuguese once again were defeated by the Papels, and in the month of May during the Portuguese attempt under Minister Antonio Eanes to extend the wall of one of their fortresses, the Papels opened fire on them handing
7452-638: The mainland, this prohibition was ignored by lançados and tangomãos , who largely assimilated into indigenous culture and customs. They ignored Portuguese trade regulations that banned entering the region or trading without a royal licence, shipping out of unauthorised ports, or assimilating into the native community. After 1520 trade and settlements increased on the mainland, populated by Portuguese and native traders, as well as some Spanish, Genoese , English, French, and Dutch. The main ports were Cacheu , Bissau , and Guinala . Each river also had such trading centers as Toubaboudougou at their fall lines,
7560-462: The major positions, including the judicial system. Social stratification was seen in the clothing and accessories of the people, in housing materials, and in transportation options. Trade was widespread between ethnic groups. Items traded included pepper and kola nuts from the southern forests; kola nuts, iron, and iron utensils from the savannah-forest zone; salt and dried fish from the coast; and Mandinka cotton cloth. According to oral tradition,
7668-487: The majority of the missionaries in Bissau. The Papel referred to the Portuguese as brancos ('whites') and others as estrangeiros ('strangers'). Relations with non-Portuguese Europeans varied; for example, the Papel held a grudge against the French after a French frigate opened fire on the kingdom. The Portuguese and Papel relations became solidified in April 1694 with the conversion of King Bacompol Co to Catholicism, making him
7776-555: The most suitable land for rice cultivation. Like the Manjacks, their names are Portuguese because of the Portuguese occupation of the country from the late 15th century until 1973. Surnames characteristic of this ethnic group are: Pereira, Lopes, Vieira, Correia, Monteiro, Ca, etc. Their language is the Papel , which is one of the Niger–Congo languages . The estimated number of speakers
7884-460: The movement suffered a setback in January 1973 when its founder and leader Amilcar Cabral was assassinated. After Cabral's death, party leadership fell to Aristides Pereira , who would later become the first president of the Republic of Cape Verde . Independence was unilaterally declared on 24 September 1973, which is now celebrated as the country's Independence Day, a public holiday . The country
7992-407: The name of its capital, Bissau , was added to the country's name to prevent confusion with Guinea (formerly French Guinea ). Guinea-Bissau has had a history of political instability since independence. The current president is Umaro Sissoco Embaló , who was elected on 29 December 2019. About 2% of the population speaks Portuguese, the official language , as a first language, and 33% speak it as
8100-473: The nine-point policy to an extent. He converted to Christianity and permitted the construction of a fort. But issues arose when Incinha Te complained about the sacrilege of the Xina's by Jose Pinheiro to the king of Portugal. Incinha Te and the bishop had a contentious relationship, unlike his predecessor. Incinha Te accused the bishop of enslaving his relatives, who were sent to Lisbon years prior. It did not help that
8208-418: The other Papel vassal states attacking the Portuguese fortress eight days later, and killing the soldiers guarding the bastions though the Portuguese defended themselves effectively until reinforcements arrived. The attack plunged the region into a state of hostilities with the Portuguese declaration of war on the next day, banning the sales of guns and gunpowder to the natives, and increasing gunboat patrols of
8316-612: The panos cloth that became a standard currency in West Africa. During the 17th and 18th centuries, thousands of captive Africans were taken from the region every year by Portuguese, French, and British companies. An average of 3000 persons were shipped every year from Guinala alone. Many of these captives were taken during the Fula jihads and, specifically, the wars between the Imamate of Futa Jallon and Kaabu . Wars were increasingly waged for
8424-529: The payment of taxes from all the population in 1882. Two years after the start of the campaign in 1884, it reached the areas inhabited by the Papels. On 5 May 1884, the secretary general José Joaquim de Almeida was given the task of subduing the Papels of Biombo and Manjacos of Caió. In Biombo this campaign did not start well, with naval battles taking place on the river Geba between the Portuguese and Papels, who were able to effectively use their war canoes to intercept and harass Portuguese schooners . Later,
8532-479: The presidential guard had been killed in the incident. The African Union and ECOWAS both condemned the coup. Six days after the attempted coup d'état, on 7 February 2022, there was an attack on the building of Rádio Capital FM, a radio station critical of the Bissau-Guinean government; this was the second time the radio station suffered an attack of this nature in less than two years. A journalist working for
8640-500: The region, many of them from Kaabu. In the late 18th century, the rise of the Imamate of Futa Jallon to the east posed a powerful challenge to the animist Kaabu. During the first half of the 19th century, civil war erupted as local Fula people sought independence. This long-running conflict was marked by the 1867 Battle of Kansala ; the Fuladu effectively defeated the Kaabu and dominated
8748-465: The rural world, was adopted. In 1980, economic conditions deteriorated significantly, leading to general discontent with the government in power. On 14 November 1980, João Bernardo Vieira , known as "Nino Vieira", overthrew President Luís Cabral. The constitution was suspended and a nine-member Military Council of the Revolution, chaired by Vieira, was established. Since then, the country has moved toward
8856-486: The sole purpose of capturing slaves to sell to the Europeans in exchange for imported goods. They resembled man-hunts more than conflicts over territory or political power. The nobles and kings benefited, while the common people bore the brunt of the raiding and insecurity. If a noble was captured, they were likely to be released, as the captors, whoever they were, would generally accept a ransom in exchange for freeing them. The relationship between kings and European traders
8964-422: The spoils gained by warriors who used their boats in any expedition. Bijago night raids on coastal settlements had significant effects on the societies attacked. Portuguese traders on the mainland tried to stop the raids, as they hurt the local economy. But the islanders also sold considerable numbers of villagers captured in raids as slaves to the Europeans. With colonisation underway in other parts of Africa and
9072-400: The strait of Gibraltar, and developing into a local West African cluster. The earliest contact between the Papel and European is dated to as early as the late 16th century. André Álvares de Almada singled out Bissau as a safe haven for the Portuguese and routinely used it as a refuge for ships under attack from other Europeans. The king of Bissau, Equendé, was said to be a 'best friend' of
9180-456: The territory. Aided by the jungle-like terrain, it had easy access to borders with neighbouring allies and large quantities of arms from Cuba , China , the Soviet Union , and left-leaning African countries. The PAIGC even managed to acquire a significant anti-aircraft capability in order to defend itself against aerial attack. By 1973, the PAIGC was in control of many parts of Guinea, although
9288-420: The throne. The Portuguese refrained from outwardly siding with either camp, though both Jose Pinheiro and bishop of Cape Verde Fr Victoriano Portuense favoured Toro Co since he had converted to Christianity. Furthermore, the ecclesiastics of Bissau believed Toro Co more likely to uphold the nine-point policies that the king Bacompol Co had previously agreed to: A nobleman named Antoma had the right of crowning
9396-478: The time was also captain of Cacheu. The year 1696 was marked by King Bacompol Co's death, and with it the good relations between the Portuguese Empire and Kingdom of Bissau. On 5 May 1696, the kingdom and throne were split between two noblemen: Incinha Te and Toro Co. Toro Co was Bacompol Co's maternal brother, while Incinha Te, through a different maternal line, was by Papel standards the rightful heir to
9504-433: The top of Intim celebrating the killing with war dances and making preparations for war. This is what they got, the Portuguese on 1 December declared war on the Papels once again for the murder, they bombarded Bissau with artillery pieces and would regularly enter gunfights with the Papels, this attack did not result in a Papel full out attack which confused the Portuguese into a belief of victory. The Papel lack of response
9612-401: The trading houses for their contents, and attacking the house of Joao Marques de Barros. Barros, with the aid of machine gun fire, forced the Papels to retreat. The Papel forces set up ambushes outside the fortress walls and resumed hostilities with the Portuguese. The Portuguese, lacking sufficient supplies of ammunition, gunpowder, and soldiers, were forced to request foreign assistance from
9720-450: The use of continuous gunfire, but in the face of skilled soldiers armed with machine guns they could do little and were defeated at Bandim. Pinto was injured during the battle of Jaal in Safim on 12 June, during an ambush when Papels hiding on higher ground fired on the marching troops. It is believed that a Papel soldier named N'djilonde Ca was the one who shot Teixeira off his horse. Teixeira
9828-451: The war started to favour the Portuguese. On 7 May, due to the refusal of one of the Chiefs of Silho, a village in Biombo, to comply, Silho was machine gunned and bombed by Portuguese forces. The chief persisted in his refusal, resulting in the landing of 30 naval soldiers under four officers. The village was partially destroyed with the Portuguese only receiving three casualties in the assault, and
9936-609: Was 136,000 in Guinea-Bissau in 2006. Most Papel are Christians, usually Catholic, but also Animists . Ancestor worship is an important part of the culture, like in many African communities. For example, after a burial ceremony honouring "Toka Chur", held from a few months to several years after the actual funeral, has social prestige. Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( / ˌ ɡ ɪ n i b ɪ ˈ s aʊ / ; Portuguese : Guiné-Bissau ; Fula : 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮 , romanized: Gine-Bisaawo ; Mandinka : ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫ ߓߌߛߊߥߏ߫ Gine-Bisawo ), officially
10044-413: Was a failure and N'Kanande was captured by the Portuguese and sentenced to death by Teixeira Pinto. He was tortured and buried alive while his pregnant wife was shot. The death of N'Kanande Ka ended the revolts and resistance of the Papels against the Portuguese, and solidified their subsequent submission to Portuguese authority and tax. As a sign of their defeat Teixeira had military posts constructed in
10152-413: Was a partnership, with the two regularly making deals on how the trade was to be conducted, defining who could be enslaved and who could not, and the prices of the slaves. Contemporary chroniclers questioned multiple kings on their part in the slave trade, and noted that they recognised the trade as evil but participated because otherwise the Europeans would not buy any other goods from them. Beginning in
10260-476: Was again appointed as an interim president. On the evening of 12 April 2012, members of the country's military staged a coup d'état and arrested the interim president and a leading presidential candidate. Former vice chief of staff, General Mamadu Ture Kuruma , assumed control of the country in the transitional period and started negotiations with opposition parties. The 2014 general election saw José Mário Vaz elected President of Guinea-Bissau. Vaz became
10368-525: Was among the first regions whose people engaged in the Atlantic slave trade . For centuries its warriors had sent captives as slaves to North Africa. While it did not produce the same number of enslaved people to export to the Americas as other regions, the effects were still significant. In Cape Verde, Guinean slaves were instrumental in developing the labor-intensive plantation economy: they cultivated and processed, growing indigo and cotton , and also wove
10476-406: Was appointed the first president of Guinea-Bissau . Independence had begun under the best of auspices. The Bissau-Guinean diaspora had returned to the country en masse. A system of access to school for all had been created. Books were free and schools seemed to have a sufficient number of teachers. The education of girls, previously neglected, was encouraged and a new school calendar, more adapted to
10584-442: Was attacked by members of the armed forces, killing a guard but leaving the president unharmed. On 2 March 2009, however, Vieira was assassinated by what preliminary reports indicated to be a group of soldiers avenging the death of the head of joint chiefs of staff, General Batista Tagme Na Wai , who had been killed in an explosion the day before. Vieira's death did not trigger widespread violence, but there were signs of turmoil in
10692-439: Was attempted, speculated to be authorised by both Pinheiro and Incinha Te. In response the bishop had five Papels (two related to the king) seized and sent to Geba. In response, Incinha Te had a church, priests living quarters, and another house within the fort burnt to the ground. The rift between Pinheiro and Incinha Te grew larger, due to Pinheiro placing the blame for the assassination attempt on Incinha Te. In December 1696
10800-478: Was built of stone in the 1640s. Cacheu was an important slave trading point for the Portuguese in the Upper Guinea region, where the crown endeavoured to ensure that duties on all slaves exported were paid. It was also a center of boat-building, with most of the artisans being African. The lancados, Papels, and other European traders all regularly violated this supposed monopoly. To bolster these attempts, in 1676
10908-417: Was due to their mobilisation of other ethnicities into the war such as the Balanta, the Papel had planned a sneak attack on 7 December but even though it came as a surprise, the Portuguese were able to escape defeat due to the increased security they prepared around the fortress. The Portuguese suffered major defeats from the Papels during their pacification campaign in the years 1891, 1894, and 1904. After
11016-408: Was elevated to the status of captaincy, as prior the overseer of the trade was lieutenant-captain but even this seemed to be purely nominal with no weight behind it, the title was before given to the influential Afro-Portuguese trader Barnabé Lopez who was related to the ruling house of Bissau but it was just 'honorary'. The title of captaincy and Portuguese authority was given to Jose Pinheiro, who at
11124-610: Was formally recognized as independent on 10 September 1974. Nicolae Ceaușescu 's Romania was the first country to formally recognise Guinea-Bissau and the first to sign agreements with the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde . Upon the nation's independence, it declared Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada as its national anthem. Until 1996, this was shared with Cape Verde , which later adopted its own official national anthem Cântico da Liberdade . Luís Cabral , brother of Amílcar and co-founder of PAIGC,
11232-410: Was launched by the Papel on Portuguese troops transporting artillery near a Portuguese town, who in turn returned gunfire. The day after this attack, the Portuguese responded with the use of machine gunning on Papel villages. The war continued with this back and forth style of warfare, at one point in a show of resistance the Papel forces proactively advanced on Portuguese troops and their auxiliaries,
11340-465: Was replaced with Lieutenant Henrique de Sousa Guerra, who took command of the operations against the Papels in Quisset and Prabis . Antula was conquered due an event in which the majority Papel soldiers of Antula went to a peace talk between their chiefs and the Portuguese governor, here they got drunk and on the way back to Antula they were attacked by the Portuguese and defeated. The Papel response to this
11448-462: Was signed between King Palan Co and the Portuguese in 1753, which included permission for the Portuguese to finish the construction of their fort, reinstating the Portuguese captaincy of Bissau using Cape Verdean soldiers to fortify their position. The peace treaty did little in the way of subduing the Papels, and skirmishes and revolts would still be common place between the Portuguese and the Kingdom of Bissau for centuries to come. April 1844 saw
11556-421: Was to sack villages and loot the stores the week after. Once the objective of subduing the Papels was accomplished in these areas of Bissau, the Portuguese marched on to Quinhamel in the area of Biombo. It was in this region on 20 July 1915 that King N'Kanande Ka incorporated a false surrender, firing upon the column of Portuguese forces and signalling the Papel forces to make a final attack. The final attack
11664-492: Was unable to stop Incinha Te's demand for free trade, but Fonseca was able to persuade Incinha Te to make ships anchor out of range of the fort's guns. Fonseca reported in April 1699 that an Afro-Portuguese trader called Maria Soares returned from Sierra Leone to Bissau with a cargo full of Kola . When asked to pay duties to the Portuguese she protested, and Incinha Te intervened on her behalf. At another point, Fonseca complained that two Dutch ships avoided paying 10% duties to
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