The book “The Fall of the Last Colonial Empire in Africa: Cuba and the Wars of Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde”, promoted by the Cape Verdean Association in Norway and the Norwegian Council for Africa, was presented in Oslo.
Published by Pathfinder, the book is authored by Commander Víctor Dreke Cruz, whose message to the audience was read by the Cuban ambassador.
The book launch took place during the commemoration of the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal. The discussion highlighted the interrelationship between the consolidation of independence movements in the Portuguese colonies in Africa and the fall of the fascist dictatorship in Lisbon, as well as the inevitable independence of those colonies.
In the text presented, Commander Dreke, who headed the group of Cuban military advisors and the medical brigade that collaborated with the Cape Verdean Guinean guerrillas, recounts the development of that collaboration and the friendship between Amílcar Cabral, leader of that independence movement, and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.
Cuban Ambassador Hugo Ramos Milanés was invited to offer insights into the origins of Cuban internationalism and its development in diverse spheres, with particular emphasis on the education and health sectors, both through the brigades of Cuban aid workers who have served in Africa and the tens of thousands of young Africans who have studied various university degrees in Cuba, including medicine.
(CubaMINREX - EmbaCUBA Noruega).