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Within Afrikan history the Portuguese who were free of Moorish occupation by 1244, used their independence to brand themselves as the most adventurous European state. They were the first Europeans to encounter Afrikans on Afrikan soil when they overcame a Moroccan force and established a settlement in Ceuta around 1415. Within 30 years of the invasion of Ceuta, the Portuguese had made their way down the coast of West Afrika where it is said they kidnapped over 70 Afrikans and took them to Lisbon.

These interactions are important because they were to change the face of world history for hundreds of years and to hound the Portuguese until the freedom of its colonies during the reign of its fascist government. The four main colonies, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique were the last Portuguese colonies to gain independence.

An independence wall had been erected around the continent of Afrika during a time when Portugal was among the leading maritime powers of Europe. From the western bulge of the continent, the Portuguese controlled Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, down the western coastline they ruled in Angola, and on the eastern side of the continent they occupied the large country of Mozambique.

It is from this part of our history about the Portuguese colonies the fact that several of the most charismatic intellectuals in Afrika rose to lead the struggle against the colonialists, one of them being the cultural genius of Amilcar Cabral.