71.
Historical Dictionary of the Republics of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.
By Richard Lobban. African Historical Dictionaries, No. 22. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1979. Review by Joye Bowman Hawkins, University of Southern California.
Richard Lobban's 'Historical Dictionary of the Republics of GuineaBissau and Cape Verde is the twenty-second volume in the series on Africa edited by Jon Woronoff. Like the other volumes, this one presents a chronology of historical events, a brief introduc-tion, an extensive dictionary of historical figures, places and events, and a bibliography. Unlike the other volumes in the series however, Lobban discusses two countries, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde because of their historical connections. Lobban has published a variety of articles on these two countries and travelled extensively in Guinea-Bissau during the war of national liberation and visited both countries after independence. Thus he has first-hand knowledge about the countries and their problems.
Lobban's volume is a useful introduction for both specialists and nonspecialists to these two countries. With the exception of recent literature on the liberation war (1963-1973) and post-independence developments, the majority of the works on Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde are in Portuguese. Consequently, this work in English is a welcome addition to the literature.
Lobban convincingly demonstrates the historical connection between the two republics in both the introduction and the dictionary entries. However, he is also realistic and points out the historical differences between the two countries in terms of population settlement, resources and colonial policy in areas like education and land usage. Although the connections between Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde should not be underestimated, recent political changes, including the 1980 coup d'etat in Guinea-Bissau and the formation of the PAICV (1981) show that a more thorough analysis of the differences
between the two countries should be made.
In the dictionary, Lobban draws on his knowledge of the liberation war and makes meaningful comparisons between life under Portuguese rule, under the PAIGC in the liberated zones during the war and under the independence governments. He presents useful statistics on agricultural production, the balance of trade and educational and health facilities. These statistics graphically explain the nature of Portuguese colonial rule and the problems facing the new governments. Although Lobban discusses the precolonial, colonial and independence periods, he is more comfortable with the era of national liberation and independence, his area of specialization.
The bibliography is useful but as Lobban states it is not a comprehensive list and thus should be used in conjunction with other bibliographies he cites. His main concern was to list major works on both countries in English although some books in Portuguese and French are also included. The bibliography is divided into twelve categories and contains reference to historical materials as well as works by and about Amflcar Cabral, the PATCC, the war of national liberation and independence. The entries are straight forward and easy to use.