Welcome to Bissau, the capital and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. The city lies on the estuary of the Geba River, just off the Atlantic Ocean, and it is the country's main port as well as its administrative and military centre. Long before Europeans arrived, and right up to the early 20th century, the island of Bissau was a kingdom of the Papel people. Oral tradition says it was founded by Mecau, son of the king of Quinara, and the city's name may come from a clan descended from his sister. Let's begin our walk by the waterfront.
Fortaleza de São José da Amura
Photo: Joehawkins · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWe start at the Fort of São José of Amura, known locally simply as Amura Fort. Its story begins with rivalry between European powers. In the late 17th century, French traders were active along this coast, and in 1687 a Portuguese official wrote to Lisbon warning that the French had sent ships with materials to build a fort at Bissau. He managed to prevent it by working with the local king on whose land the fort was to be built. That contest over who would guard this harbour is where the fort's long story begins.
Bissau Cathedral
Photo: Joehawkins · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn the heart of downtown stands Bissau Cathedral, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria and the centre of the Catholic Church in Guinea-Bissau. The building you see was built between 1945 and 1950, replacing an earlier church on the same spot. Here is the surprise: the cathedral tower doubles as a lighthouse, its light guiding ships through the Geba estuary into port. Pope John Paul the Second visited in 1990, and Bishop Settimio Ferrazzetta, who spoke out here against violence in 1998, is buried inside.
Presidential Palace
Photo: jbdodane · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn front of you is the Presidential Palace, the residence of the President of Guinea-Bissau. At its height it was one of the most substantial buildings in the city. During the civil war of 1998 and 1999 it was bombed and ruined, and for years it stood derelict, home only to bats. It reopened in 2013, built with Chinese investment as part of a wave of large projects in the city that also included a new stadium and a parliament house.
Port of Bissau
Photo: Joehawkins · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsDown on the Geba River lies the Port of Bissau, also called Porto Pidjiguiti, the country's chief port. It has two piers and a jetty, and cranes that can lift up to 50 tonnes. Look back towards the city and you may spot the cathedral tower, whose light guides ships up the estuary and is looked after by the harbourmaster. These docks also carry a heavy memory: on 3 August 1959 the Pidjiguiti docks were the site of a massacre, and we pause to remember those who died.
Bolama
Photo: Nammarci · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsOur last stop is Bolama, the main town of Bolama Island and once the capital of Portuguese Guinea. Today it is a quiet place of a few thousand people, almost surrounded by mangrove swamps, its colonial buildings in deep decay, and best known for cashew nuts. In 1792 settlers from England arrived on two ships, hoping to found a colony that would make slave plantations unnecessary. Most of them died, and the survivors abandoned the colony the following year.
Lomakuume
