CAUSE OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLES IN PORTUGUESE COLONIES

 The Africans in the Portuguese colonies tried to use peaceful means in the initial stages, however independence was far from reach and they resorted to armed struggle against the Portuguese.

The following are causes of liberation struggles in Portuguese colonies

  • The Portuguese regarded the colonies as overseas provinces which sparked off the wars. This idea was declared in the 1951 Constitution of Portugal and this negated African feelings. The Africans applied violence to break the colonial bondage.

  • The brutality of the Portuguese led to the outbreak of the liberation wars. The Portuguese killed over 200,000 Angolans, others were terribly wounded and public flogging e.g. Agustinho Neto, dock workers were killed in Mozambique and Guinea Bissau and others killed in strikes. All these sparked off armed struggle for independence.

  • Lack of constitutional means to achieve independence forced Africans to declare war on the Portuguese. Africans in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea Bissau were denied political participation in parliamentary structures. This compelled Africans to resort to the liberation war.

  • The dictatorial policies of the Portuguese led to the wars of independence. The Portuguese suppressed the freedoms of people in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea Bissau, the press was censored and political parties were banned. These undemocratic activities pushed the Africans to resort to violent approaches.

  • The tight spy network exposed by the Portuguese police (PIDE) contributed to the war. The PIDE carried out in human acts like unwarranted arrests and public humiliation such as Neto flogged. The police was authorized to kill suspects. The acts of the PIDE increased African anti-colonial sentiments leading to the war.

  • Increased deployment of the Portuguese troops in Africa laid a foundation for the war. The number of soldiers by 1960 was increased in Angola i.e. 60,000 and 70,000 in Mozambique respectively. This made Africans also to reciprocate by forming strong armies to engage the Portuguese.

  • The establishment of concentration camps by the Portuguese occasioned the wars. These centers were set up to contain African resistance and to deny them access to foreign assistance. Africans were tortured and others assassinated in these centers hence raising concern leading to the wars.

  • The formation of the liberation movements by Africans in Portuguese Africa led to the armed struggles. PAIGC was formed in 1954 in Guinea Bissau, MPLA in 1956 in Angola and FRELIMO in 1962 in Mozambique. These organized the masses, united the people and declared guerilla war against the Portuguese.

  • The desire for political independence occasioned the liberation wars. Africans developed great nationalistic sentiments that pushed them into the war. This was because of the long period of political denial hence making the war inevitable.

  • Influence of the Marxist Ideology (Socialism) in Portuguese Africa caused the wars. This ideology called for a classless society, was against imperialism and advocated for the use of militarism against foreign domination. The communist states therefore offered support to Africans to fight the Portuguese.

  • The influence of the independent neighboring states also contributed to the wars in Portuguese Africa. Countries like Congo-Zaire, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea Conakry, Senegal, Tanzania and Malawi inspired the Portuguese colonies to raise their morale for independence. The neighboring states provided the logistical support, ie, financial, military and external bases for the wars.

  • The role of the nationalistic leaders caused the wars. These included Augustine Neto of Angola, Amilcar Cabral in Guinea Bissau and Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique. These provided courageous and visionary leadership in turbulent times hence making the wars inevitable.

  • Forced labour imposed on the Africans also caused the wars. Africans were made to offer labour on public works eg roads, and plantations, without payment or meager pay. This was resented by Africans leading to the war.

  • The unfair and heavy taxation imposed on the Africans caused the liberation wars. The methods of taxation were very cruel and harsh. The defaulters were arrested and flogged in public hence sending Africans into a war mood.

  • High levels of looming poverty among the Africans caused the war. Africans became poverty stricken due to lack of employment, low prices of agricultural produce and low wages compared to the Portuguese workers. The impoverished Africans became disgruntled to open up war against the Portuguese.

  • The corruption of the Portuguese administrators also caused the liberation wars. The officials were too corrupt in the collection of taxes and provision of the civil services, bribes were at the highest levels. This provoked militant nationalism in Portuguese Africa.

  • The lack of employment opportunities among the Africans contributed to the occurrence of the wars. All the existing jobs including driving, office clerks and messengers were a preserve of the White minority. Africans were meant to offer forced labour on the plantations with meager pay. This attracted resentment in all the Portuguese colonies leading to war.

  • The inferior education system provided by the Portuguese made the wars inevitable. The education system given to Africans were not technical and intellectual to compete with the Portuguese, Africans attended separate schools of missionaries established in rural areas. This laid a foundation for the liberation wars.

  • The racial arrogance of the Portuguese caused the liberation wars. This was packaged in the assimilation policy that forced Africans to take on their culture in totality. This policy roduced a class of assimilados who accepted to drop African cultural values and were favored at the expense of the indignas (Africans who refused to change). This created a situation of a war mood.

  • The forced cash crop growing among Africans contributed to the liberation wars. The Portuguese forced Africans to grow crops such as cotton, coffee, and Tobacco even on the small gardens after big chucks of land had been grabbed. Africans were unable to grow food crops that led to famine and the prices for the crops grown were determined by the Portuguese. This caused discontent leading to war.

  • The presence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Portuguese Africa annoyed Africans to rebel. Note should be taken that Portugal was a member of NATO and allowed the countries of Britain, France, Belgium, among others set up military bases, invest in the area and also dump their goods which they charged expensively. This compelled Africans to launch war against the Portuguese colonial masters.

  • The land alienation policy by the Portuguese caused the Liberation wars. The Portuguese steadily grabbed land from Africans and established plantations. This left Africans landless and were sent to reserves and others remained squatters on the White estates. The wars were staged in order to regain the lost land in an armed struggle.

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