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No Fist Is Big Enough to Hide the Sky: The Liberation of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, 1963-74
No Fist Is Big Enough to Hide the Sky stands as a key text in the history of the eleven-year struggle against Portuguese rule in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. Though perhaps less well known than the struggles in Angola and Mozambique, the liberation war waged by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) easily ranks alongside those conflicts as an example of an African independence movement triumphing against overwhelming odds.Basil Davidson, a leading authority on Portuguese Africa who witnessed many of these events first hand, draws on his own extensive experience in the country as well as the PAIGC archives to provide a detailed and rigorous analysis of the conflict. The book also provides one of the earliest accounts of the assassination of the PAIGC's founder, Amilcar Cabral, and documents the movement's remarkable success in recovering from the death of its leader and in eventually attaining independence. Featuring a preface by Cape Verde's first president, Aristides Pereira, and a foreword by Cabral himself, No Fist is Big Enough to Hide the Sky remains an invaluable resource for the study both of the region and of African liberation struggles as a whole.
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1981
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About the author
Basil Davidson
102 books73 followersBasil Risbridger Davidson was an acclaimed British historian, writer and Africanist, particularly knowledgeable on the subject of Portuguese Africa prior to the 1974 Carnation Revolution .
He has written several books on the current plight of Africa. Colonialism and the rise of African emancipation movements have been central themes of his work.
He is an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
From 1939, Davidson was a reporter for the London "Economist" in Paris, France. From December 1939, he was a Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)/MI-6 D Section (sabotage) officer sent to Budapest (see Special Operations Europe, chapter 3) to establish a news service as cover. In April 1941, with the Nazi invasion, he fled to Belgrade, Yugoslavia. In May, he was captured by Italian forces and was later released as part of a prisoner exchange. From late 1942 to mid-1943, he was chief of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Yugoslav Section in Cairo, Egypt, where he was James Klugmann's supervisor. From January 1945 he was liaison officer with partisans in Liguria, Italy.
After the war, he was Paris correspondent for "The Times," "Daily Herald" ,"New Statesman", and the "Daily Mirror."
Since 1951, he became a well known authority on African history, an unfashionable subject in the 1950s. His writings have emphasised the pre-colonial achievements of Africans, the disastrous effects of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the further damage inflicted on Africa by European colonialism and the baleful effects of the Nation State in Africa.
Davidson's works are required reading in many British universities. He is globally recognized as an expert on African History.
He currently lives in Staffordshire.
He has written several books on the current plight of Africa. Colonialism and the rise of African emancipation movements have been central themes of his work.
He is an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
From 1939, Davidson was a reporter for the London "Economist" in Paris, France. From December 1939, he was a Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)/MI-6 D Section (sabotage) officer sent to Budapest (see Special Operations Europe, chapter 3) to establish a news service as cover. In April 1941, with the Nazi invasion, he fled to Belgrade, Yugoslavia. In May, he was captured by Italian forces and was later released as part of a prisoner exchange. From late 1942 to mid-1943, he was chief of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Yugoslav Section in Cairo, Egypt, where he was James Klugmann's supervisor. From January 1945 he was liaison officer with partisans in Liguria, Italy.
After the war, he was Paris correspondent for "The Times," "Daily Herald" ,"New Statesman", and the "Daily Mirror."
Since 1951, he became a well known authority on African history, an unfashionable subject in the 1950s. His writings have emphasised the pre-colonial achievements of Africans, the disastrous effects of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the further damage inflicted on Africa by European colonialism and the baleful effects of the Nation State in Africa.
Davidson's works are required reading in many British universities. He is globally recognized as an expert on African History.
He currently lives in Staffordshire.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 28, 2022
Great book on a less known but important historical period: the liberation struggle in Portuguese Guine (actual Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is like Les Damnés de la terre by Frantz Fanon and Pedagogia do Oprimido by Paulo Freire put in practice: a very thoughtful and participatory approach to armed struggle and decolonization, of building a new society out of oppressed and poor populations, avoiding all the pitfalls seen in other newly independent African countries, where power has been captured by the African bourgeoisie, whereas the former colonial powers remain largely in control. The leaders of the revolutionary movement seem equally aware of the dangers of the party turning into a rigid autocratic system and carefully navigate to safeguard the principles in which they believe.
On the one hand, this is very inspiring: David beats Goliath and proves that other models of true autonomy and participatory governance and society are possible! On the other hand, if you look at Guinea Bissau today, very little seems to remain of this hopeful and empowering period: poverty and poor governance continue, just as they do in many other former colonies. Power seems always to get captured by small groups that turn against the popular majority... The first signs of this were already apparent in 1980 when Davidson finished this book, though he remains very optimistic as to the capacity of the PAIGC to withstand all obstacles and continue to thrive. Alas.
On the one hand, this is very inspiring: David beats Goliath and proves that other models of true autonomy and participatory governance and society are possible! On the other hand, if you look at Guinea Bissau today, very little seems to remain of this hopeful and empowering period: poverty and poor governance continue, just as they do in many other former colonies. Power seems always to get captured by small groups that turn against the popular majority... The first signs of this were already apparent in 1980 when Davidson finished this book, though he remains very optimistic as to the capacity of the PAIGC to withstand all obstacles and continue to thrive. Alas.
May 18, 2011
This book deserves to become a classic. It is an inspiring story of the liberation of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde by the African Independence Party of Guine and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and their militants, especially Amilcar Cabral.
Davidson is an excellent storyteller, combining on-the-ground anecdote, interviews with Cabral and other PAIGC militants, stories from the field, and the long history of Portuguese colonialism in Africa. (Also worth checking out is his In the Eye of the Storm, a history of the MPLA in Angola).
Davidson quotes Cabral and other PAIGC leaders in extended sections, and Cabral wrote the foreword to the first edition (the second edition was completed after his assassination and after the liberation of the countries. The story of his assassination and the PAIGC response is told movingly).
Cabral's down-to-earth political genius shines through. Before he helped found the PAIGC, Cabral did a census for the Portuguese, and he walked all over Guine, meeting its people and learning their problems and their dreams.
He insisted that the militants of the PAIGC had to show the people that they would eat better and live more secure lives by committing themselves to the cause of liberation.
It made me think about how radicals in the US try to connect our big picture analysis and dreams with our everyday organizing. I think we have a lot to learn from Cabral, and from this book.
Davidson is an excellent storyteller, combining on-the-ground anecdote, interviews with Cabral and other PAIGC militants, stories from the field, and the long history of Portuguese colonialism in Africa. (Also worth checking out is his In the Eye of the Storm, a history of the MPLA in Angola).
Davidson quotes Cabral and other PAIGC leaders in extended sections, and Cabral wrote the foreword to the first edition (the second edition was completed after his assassination and after the liberation of the countries. The story of his assassination and the PAIGC response is told movingly).
Cabral's down-to-earth political genius shines through. Before he helped found the PAIGC, Cabral did a census for the Portuguese, and he walked all over Guine, meeting its people and learning their problems and their dreams.
He insisted that the militants of the PAIGC had to show the people that they would eat better and live more secure lives by committing themselves to the cause of liberation.
It made me think about how radicals in the US try to connect our big picture analysis and dreams with our everyday organizing. I think we have a lot to learn from Cabral, and from this book.
December 12, 2020
A few men who want a revolution may launch one: only many men who want a revolution can make one.
November 27, 2023
This is not a book much at all about Cape Verde so anyone looking for a country-specific read before a trip (as I was) might look elsewhere...However, this is a really fabulous work!
Davidson is uniquely situated as a friend of the PAIGC to discuss the revolution from the inside and he does so primarily through the ideas and speeches of Amilcar Cabral. Davidson is completely partisan and a good friend of Cabral so this is not an objective work, but nonetheless still very very interesting.
Cabral is an extremely interesting thinker. He is clear in his belief that the class ideology of Marxism is not enough to sustain a successful state post-revolution. He disdains ‘foreign aid’ in the form of advisors and trainers from other socialist states as he believes that the revolution must be owned by the local population.
He believes in peasant/rural economic development, encourages the PAIGC to be militant but to avoid militarism, and claims to practice “revolutionary democracy”.
“Learn from life, learn from our people, learn from books, learn from experiences of others. Never stop learning… Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories...”
In sum, a fascinating character.
At the time of writing it is clear that Davidson believed in Cabral and Cabral believed that the PAIGC could combine military and political aims to create a fairer, more advantageous post-colonial society.
Davidson finished the book right after the 1981 coup in Bissau. His final lines are optimistic and, in general, this work represents the period in which it is written when the revolutionary spirit was strong and the vision was idealistic. Reality, though, has been a lot harsher, especially in Guinea-Bissau.
Davidson is uniquely situated as a friend of the PAIGC to discuss the revolution from the inside and he does so primarily through the ideas and speeches of Amilcar Cabral. Davidson is completely partisan and a good friend of Cabral so this is not an objective work, but nonetheless still very very interesting.
Cabral is an extremely interesting thinker. He is clear in his belief that the class ideology of Marxism is not enough to sustain a successful state post-revolution. He disdains ‘foreign aid’ in the form of advisors and trainers from other socialist states as he believes that the revolution must be owned by the local population.
He believes in peasant/rural economic development, encourages the PAIGC to be militant but to avoid militarism, and claims to practice “revolutionary democracy”.
“Learn from life, learn from our people, learn from books, learn from experiences of others. Never stop learning… Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories...”
In sum, a fascinating character.
At the time of writing it is clear that Davidson believed in Cabral and Cabral believed that the PAIGC could combine military and political aims to create a fairer, more advantageous post-colonial society.
Davidson finished the book right after the 1981 coup in Bissau. His final lines are optimistic and, in general, this work represents the period in which it is written when the revolutionary spirit was strong and the vision was idealistic. Reality, though, has been a lot harsher, especially in Guinea-Bissau.
August 4, 2009
A wonderfully told inside look at the inspiring, successful anti-colonial movement in Guinea-Bissau and the shrewd political leadership of Amilcar Cabral and his comrades in the PAIGC
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews