Further reading:
A great summary of the country from the BBC
An in-depth and powerful feature from The New York Times Magazine
Guinea-Bissau: A nearly forgotten corner of the world
Even though you may have never heard of Guinea-Bissau before, chances are you’ve enjoyed some of it’s produce. The country is one of the world’s leading exporters of cashews – those tasty nuts that we eat by the handful.
If you visit the country in May and June, don’t miss out on the freshly picked, hand-roasted cashews, as well as the cashew juice squeezed out of the fruits that grow attached to the nuts. Just don’t let the juice sit for a few days, unless you want to try another local favorite: cashew wine.
Despite the fertile land, Guinea-Bissau is critically under-developed. Only pockets of the capital city have electricity. The rest of the country is in the dark. Sewage seeps into the same ground where well-water is drawn from. It’s not surprising that the average life-expectancy age is 58.
And with only 1.9 million people living in a country the size of Maryland, it’s easy to overlook Guinea-Bissau. But we can’t afford to ignore this culturally-rich and vibrant country. It’s one of the poorest nations in the world and the average person here survives off $1.40 a day. Sometimes families can’t even afford to buy a sack of rice.
Guinea-Bissau also has another problem: the country has become a favorite of drug traffickers who smuggle cocaine between Latin America and Europe. They ship the drugs in bulk to Guinea-Bissau, stash it in dozens of unpatrolled islands off the coast, and then sneak it into Europe. The value of the drugs funneled through Guinea-Bissau each year is greater than the countries gross domestic product. Thanks to chronic corruption at the highest levels of government, the traffickers go unchecked.
At a glance: guinea-bissau
If you’d like to learn more, here are some great resources for you to checkout:
What life is like for children in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa)
Kids are kids, no matter where they are in the world. But their lives can [...]
23
Jul
Jul
5 facts about Guinea-Bissau in West Africa: Its people, food, languages, economy – and islands run by women
At first glance, the country of Guinea-Bissau doesn’t seem like much more than just a [...]
10
Jun
Jun
This may be the most forgotten country in Africa
Opportunity builds on itself. One opportunity leads to another. Its impact is exponential. In a [...]
22
Mar
Mar
