Talk:Corsino Fortes

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A sentence dubious on two counts[edit]

I would like to raise the issue of this sentence: "1974 was a momentous year for Portugal and its African colonies, as it was the year in which Portugal's dictator Antonio Salazar was overthrown, an act which began the process that led to the decolonisation of the Cape Verde Islands in 1975."

First off, it feels digressive. I'm not saying it's not relevant to Fortes, but it doesn't draw the connection between itself and Fortes. It basically says that his first book was published the same year as this major event and leaves us to draw our own conclusions.

Second, the overthrow of Salazar is described as "an act which began the process that led to the decolonisation of the Cape Verde Islands in 1975." This ignores the anti-colonial wars that had been raging in Portugal's colonies since the early 1960's, including the insurgency of Amilcar Cabral's PAIGC, which fought to secure the independence of both Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.

I'm reluctant to tweak the sentence myself, as I'm not otherwise familiar with Fortes or his works, but for someone in the know, I think these considerations are worth keeping in mind.Tigercompanion25 (talk) 16:38, 25 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I don't understand what you say. Can you come to the final point now? Thanks. Cruks (talk) 20:55, 25 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Ok. I think the sentence is off topic and I think it gives the impression that the end of colonialism in Portugal's colonies can be mainly attributed to the fall of the Salazar regime, without factoring in the 14 years of armed resistance to the Portuguese in places like Guinea-Bissau and Angola. I'm suggesting that someone familiar with Fortes' works should show the connection between Fortes and these events. I'm also suggesting that we amend the sentence to reflect the other factors that led to decolonization or, if it's not relevant to Fortes, excise it entirely. Tigercompanion25 (talk) 22:32, 25 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I took this part out because it is not relevant. Cruks (talk) 06:15, 29 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Really, @Cruks: because it strikes me as relevant. I mean, the Portuguese granted independence to virtually all of their colonies (except Macao) in the period between 1974 and 1976, after having held on to them long after the time when every other European colonial power and given theirs up. To say that the Portuguese Colonial War, waged from 1961 to 1975 in Guinea-Bissau, Angola, and Mozambique, wasn't relevant to the independence of Cape Verde, seems a bit of a stretch. Even though there wasn't fighting in Cape Verde (or Sao Tome e Principe, for that matter), the anti-colonial war played a big role in the Carnation Revolution and the almost immediate decolonization that followed, so it had a direct bearing on Cape Verde's independence. Tigercompanion25 (talk) 16:57, 29 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]