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Fanon and Cabral: a Contrast in Theories of Revolution for Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2008

Extract

Lenin set the tone for most successful revolutions in the twentieth century when he altered traditional Marxism to suit the conditions of Russia. Mao Tse-tung followed Lenin's example when he too adjusted Marxism (and Leninism) to a Chinese environment. It seems to follow, therefore, that attempts at revolution everywhere should not be mere imitations of previously successful upheavals but should, instead, be tailored to fit specific circumstances. Thus, African revolutions should be made on the basis of African conditions. But such conditions are not, in general, always easy to discern, nor are separate analyses of those conditions certain to be similar. This is especially true of the theories of revolution of two of the most important and influential figures in recent African history: Frantz Fanon (1925–61) and Amilcar Cabral (1925–73).

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1974

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References

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Page 203 note 3 Ibid. pp. 125–8.

Page 204 note 1 Quoted in Davidson, op. cit. p. 138.

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Page 205 note 5 Fanon, , A Dying Colonialism (New York edn., 1965), p. 24.Google Scholar

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Page 207 note 4 Ibid.

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Page 207 note 7 Fanon, , ‘Algeria Face to Face with the French Torturers’ (1957), in Toward the African Revolution, p. 64.Google Scholar

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