Pio Gama Pinto

Pio Gama Pinto was born in Kenya on March 31,
1927. He was assassinated in Nairobi on February 24, 1965. In his short
life, he became a symbol of anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggles
in Kenya and India. He was actively involved in Goa’s struggle against
Portuguese colonialism and in Mau Mau during Kenya’s war of
independence. For this, he was detained by the British colonial
authorities in Kenya from 1954-59. His contribution to the struggle for
liberation for working people spanned two continents – Africa and Asia.
And it covered two phases of imperialism – colonialism in Kenya and Goa
and neo-colonialism in Kenya after independence. His enemies saw no way
of stopping the intense, lifelong struggle waged by Pinto – except
through an assassin’s bullets. But his contribution, his ideas, and his
ideals are remembered and upheld even today by people active in
liberation struggles.

This book does not aim or claim to be a
comprehensive record on Pio Gama Pinto, just the beginning of the long
journey necessary to record the history of Kenya from an
anti-imperialist perspective. It introduces readers to voices of many
people who have written about Pinto to build up as clear a picture of
Pinto as possible. In that spirit, it seeks to make history available to
those whose story it is – people of Kenya, Africa and progressive
people around the world.