Guinea: The Mobilization of a People

Since the West African countries became independent some fifteen years ago, it has been more difficult to obtain reliable information about Guinea than about any of the others. Its president, Ahmed Sékou Touré, has been particularly suspici ous of outside contacts, especially while the Portuguese controlled adjacent Guinea-Bissau, whose liberation movement, the Partido Africano da Independencia da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PAIGC), he supported, and from which, allegedly, Guinea was invaded in November 1970. After the PAIGC was recognized as the legitimate government of Guinea-Bissau, following the coup of April 1974 in Portugal, Sékou Touré has shown less apprehension of possible external threats to his country. Guinea is still less accessible to most outsiders, how ever, than are its larger neighbors. Claude Riviere’s study is therefore especially valuable, for it not only reflects his first hand observations in Guinea but also embodies the results of long-term and recent research by this eminent French scholar, who is internationally recognized as an outstanding authority on the country.