PROJECT AUTHOR: Krzysztof Górny, PhD
Today, in the face of numerous social conflicts and struggles for autonomy and subjectivity, we increasingly ask ourselves about the meaning and necessity of decolonisation. At the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, we are particularly interested in the issues faced by regions and communities affected by colonialism. West Africa is one of the most interesting examples of such regions. Portuguese explorers had already begun exploring its Atlantic coastline in the 15th century. Portugal was also the last European empire to relinquish control of its African colonies, doing so only in the mid 1970s. Even today, many African cities retain tangible traces of their former colonisers.
Portuguese colonial policy, during its final phase, was shaped by the regime of António de Oliveira Salazar, who assumed power in 1932, establishing the “New State”, based on conservative and semi-fascist principles. Reforms introduced during this period included modernisation and urbanisation in West Africa but significantly limited the colonies’ autonomy. Consequently, dissatisfaction among inhabitants of the occupied territories grew, leading to guerrilla and independence movements, supported, among others, by Eastern Bloc countries. In 1974, the Carnation Revolution overthrew the government of Marcelo Caetano, successor to Salazar, who had died in 1970. This event led to the collapse of the Portuguese Empire and the independence of five African countries, as well as the Asian territory of East Timor. At the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, we decided to take a closer look at five centuries of Portuguese presence in Africa, examining both material and intangible heritage. Between 2019 and 2023, we conducted a research project funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) which aimed at identifying how much of the tangible colonial heritage remains in selected cities of Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Ghana. The research involved conducting interviews, gathering photographic documentation, and inventorying objects. We also conducted archival research in Portugal itself and various African cities. Field research confirmed our hypothesis about differing rates of decolonisation in the urban spaces of Portuguese-speaking Africa. The pace largely depended on the method by which power transitioned from European to African hands. The fiercer the struggle was between both sides, the more radical the subsequent changes were. Changes primarily involved the symbolic layer of the urban landscape—Portuguese monuments and commemorative plaques were removed, and European street names were replaced. In their place emerged references to local culture, independence struggles, and Africa’s fight to free itself from European domination. References to pre-colonial culture were less common.
Upper graphics:
↑ Diagram illustrating colonial heritage in the spaces of postcolonial African cities, divided into tangible and intangible aspects. Source: Own elaboration, K. Górny.
Lower graphics:
↑ FROM THE LEFT.
Map showing the intersection of colonial and contemporary buildings in the historic district of Praia, capital of Cape Verde, which was a Portuguese colony until 1975. Source: Own elaboration, K. Górny.
View of the town of Shama in Ghana from the Portuguese-built Fort São Sebastião. Since 1979, the fort has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised as tangible evidence of the transatlantic slave trade, European colonisation, and exploitation of the entire Sub-Saharan African region. Source: Photograph by K. Górny.
Colonial fort in Cacheu, near the border between Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, where, after decolonisation, all Portuguese monuments from Bissau, the country’s capital, were relocated. These monuments commemorate the turbulent period of Guinea-Bissau’s decolonisation and the African struggle against European domination. Source: Photograph by K. Górny.
The author conducting field research at the National Archive of São Tomé, which houses documents related to the Portuguese occupation of São Tomé and Príncipe, including historical maps. Source: Photograph by A. Górna (private collection).
RESEARCH LOCATION: Africa (GUINEA-BISSAU / GHANA / CAPE VERDE)