Guineans believe that democracy is synonymous with instability and regression.

Guinea-Bissau celebrates 50 years of independence on Thursday and there is a general consensus among various sectors of society and the population that democracy is synonymous with instability and regression.

The date of Portugal’s unilateral declaration of independence is September 24, but this year the official celebrations have been moved to November 16, Armed Forces Day, which will take place on Avenida Amilcar Cabral, named after the historical fighter from Guinea-Bissau.

Just a few days before the festival, cars and workers spread tar along Bissau’s renovated and illuminated central avenue, which contrasts with other roads in the capital and across the country, where craters left by the rainy season require double maneuvers and obstruct any journey, on foot or by car, will be slower.

The lack of a road network, health services, basic sanitation and drinking water, all kinds of infrastructure is evident in a country where “there is still a lot to be done,” as Lusa Abulai Jaura, president of the Network, told Lusa Lusa. National Youth Associations (RENAJ).

According to the youth leader, “there are two important moments in the country”: the one that came before, when important steps were taken for Guinea-Bissau, and the one that followed democracy, when young people live with some “disappointment.”

Independence comes with a “single party” – the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), followed by several civil society organizations and other parties.

Since then, as he noted, “the country has gone through difficult times, coups d’etat, overthrow of governments, and only one president managed to end his term early.”

“Young people are a little frustrated by the cyclical instability that the country is going through, which is preventing young people from dreaming and achieving those dreams,” he said.

This reality encourages young people to leave the country and opt for emigration, since Guinea-Bissau “does not offer a minimum period of postgraduate education, in this case a master’s degree.”

Aboulay lamented that since Guinea-Bissau is a country of young people, with more than 60% of the population belonging to this age group, it does not have a strategy to take advantage of “this youth power,” this workforce, “to develop various sectors.”

The director works at the University of Lusofona in Bissau and said that of the total number of people leaving various educational institutions every year, “less than 10% get direct employment, the rest find it difficult to even get an internship.”

“If there is no stability, how will we solve all these problems,” he asked.

Guinean singer Binhan Kimor was born after independence, but in his 48 years he has seen only disorganization in the country he loves and in which he sees hope increasingly diminishing.

In an interview with Lusa, Binhan Quimor, one of the most popular members of the new generation of Guinean musicians, said that the natives fought against the Portuguese colonial presence “to free themselves from mistreatment and sacrifice,” but, he noted, after 50 years, “Nothing or almost nothing has changed” in Guinea-Bissau.

The artist, known for his songs aimed at social awareness and criticism of politicians, said that given the state of the country, the goals that prompted Guineans to take up arms to fight the colonial presence have failed.

“To this day we have no good hospitals, no good schools, society is completely disorganized,” noted Binhan Kimor.

The artist pointed his finger at young people who, according to him, demand to take control of the country, although in fact “they are more corrupt than the elders.”

Binhan usually praises in his songs the hope that one day everything will pass, but in a conversation with Lusa, he admitted that he increasingly has little hope for the country he truly loves.

For the artist, Guinean culture is a reflection of the country’s “own disorganization,” which, according to him, over 50 years of independence has not been able to create even a recording studio or a full-fledged music school.

As he prepares to release, perhaps early next year, his second original album, Binhan gives an example of the “struggle” artists have faced with piracy of their works, as the country still does not have a policy against the phenomenon.

“You publish a CD, and the next day it turns out to be pirated on the Bandim market, and the authorities say they can’t do anything because there is no law” protecting copyright, he concluded.

According to Antonia Adama Djalo, president of the Association of Women in Economic Activities (AMAE), the country “was formidable” until the 80s/90s, for which the June 7, 1998 war “ruined everything.”

“From then on, we started instability, successive coups, and it has not stopped to this day,” he told Lusa.

In a small country with a small population but various riches, such as water, that are scarce in other regions of Africa, Antonia Djalo is convinced that “if the rulers kept their heads straight, Guinea-Bissau would be a paradise at this moment.” .

“There are successive governments, successive coups, which do not leave the population freedom of expression, work or conditions to support their families,” he emphasized.

According to this woman, “successive governments have harmed the population of Guinea, they only think about their families,” because if they thought about the population, they would strive for stability.

The date of the unilateral declaration of independence of Portugal is September 24, marked at the time by a ceremony organized in Boe by the National People’s Assembly and criticized by Guinean President Humaro Sissoko Embalo, who considered it a “manifestation of the party.” Official celebrations were scheduled for November 16, Armed Forces Day.

Leaders invited to the official ceremonies include Portuguese President and Prime Minister Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and António Costa, but the official program has not yet been published.