Former CMB president Francisco Tavares argues that Amílcar Cabral deserves public spaces with centrality, adequate size, architectural quality and high symbolic value
Cidade de Nova Sintra, January 28, 2026 (Bravanews) - The former mayor of Brava has publicly expressed his disagreement with the tribute recently paid to Amílcar Cabral in the city of Praia. In an opinion piece published on his social network, the former mayor considered that the initiative "did not live up to the historical stature" of the founder of the PAIGC and the main figure in the liberation struggle in Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.
In the text entitled "The tribute that Amílcar Cabral didn't deserve", the former president argues that the space chosen for the tribute - a recently inaugurated square - is small, unsightly and lacking in aesthetic quality, factors which, in his view, diminish the symbolic value of the figure being honored.
According to the author, the situation is aggravated by the simultaneous placement of a bust and a statue which, as well as not resembling each other, do not faithfully represent Amílcar Cabral. The former mayor also draws attention to the fact that the new square is located about 1.5 kilometers from the Amílcar Cabral Memorial, a space he considers "truly worthy" and already in existence.
On an institutional level, the former mayor of Brava questions the timing of the initiative, recalling that the PAICV, the party that directly inherited the PAIGC founded by Cabral, ruled the country and several municipalities for decades. For the author, it is strange that a monument of this nature is only now appearing.
In the article, a comparison is also made with the tribute paid to Eugénio Tavares by the Municipality of Brava, stressing that, despite much more limited financial resources, this initiative would have shown greater care, vision and respect for the figure being honored.
The former mayor argues that Amílcar Cabral deserves public spaces with centrality, adequate size, architectural quality and high symbolic value, warning that poorly conceived tributes can impoverish collective memory.
"The country owes Cabral more than protocol gestures. It owes him dignity," concludes the author, stressing that this is a personal opinion, but it is taken as a contribution to the public debate on how Cape Verde preserves and values the memory of its national heroes.
MS
