Ciaran’s Peculier [sic] Blog

G’day chuck feeders! Been chokin’ a darkie in the dunny recently?

 Fate can be a really weird thing, the way it can unite people in a

Guinea-Bissau's first president

 cruel and absurd way when it comes to cashing in your chips in this world and collecting vouchers for the next. Take the political leadership of that sad country Guinea-Bissau, now viewed by many commentators as a basket case, a narco-state. Its first president was a guy called Luiz Almeida de Cabral. His brother had headed the independence movement until he was assassinated by fascist Portuguese hit-men in 1973. Luiz was an eternal optimist – he had to be when he became president of one of the poorest countries in the world. He tried to institute educational reform – the Portuguese hadn’t bothered their arses. Sadly, someone up there didn’t like him and in the late ‘70s his country was hit by natural disasters. His prime minister, Joao do Vieira, felt he could do a better job, so in November 1980 he seized power, throwing Luiz into jail for a while.

 Now this is where it gets a bit wild. Vieira crawled back into the presidency through a democratic election, but not everyone liked him in the country. This March he was murdered in controversial circumstances by soldiers who believed he’d been behind the death of their commanding officer. And then last week Luiz passes away, in a far more peaceful setting – leafy Lisbon where he’d been in exile.

 So you can imagine what might happen if they happen to meet in the great VIP lounge in the sky. What will they have to say to each other? Nice to see you to see you nice?

 Anyone seeking enlightenment about the meaning of the first line of this post should seek help from the museum’s curator.