Guinea-Bissau

Overview

The country is struggling due to many years of civil conflict, but is now slowly building on its current stability. Although there is 200km of coastline with beautiful beaches and islands, these are not all easily accessible. In the capital, Bissau, there is the Museum of African Artefacts, where the visitor will be able to see many examples of traditional and historical craftsmanship. The visitor might also wish to explore the Boloma, now in ruins, which was the original capital of Guinea-Bissau.

History

Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable upheaval. The founding government consisted of a single party system and command economy. In 1980, a military coup established Joao VIEIRA as president and a path to a market economy and multiparty system was implemented. A number of coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him and in 1994 he was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military coup attempt and civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in 1999. In February 2000, an interim government turned over power when opposition leader Kumba YALA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. YALA was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2003, and Henrique ROSA was sworn in as President. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by its crippled economy, devastated in the civil war.