The Cashew Republic: How One Nut Keeps Guinea-Bissau’s Fragile Democracy Alive | The African Gourmet
The Cashew Republic
How One Nut Keeps Guinea-Bissau’s Fragile Democracy Alive (and Almost Killed It)
“K badju di kaju, i ka badju di povu.”
Whoever dances to the cashew is not dancing to the people.
— Bissau-Guinean Creole (Kriol) proverb, heard in every village from Cacheu to CatióIn Guinea-Bissau, the cashew harvest is not a season.
It is the entire economy, the calendar, the election campaign, and, some years, the only thing standing between peace and another coup.The Numbers That Rule a Nation
- Population: 2.1 million
- Annual raw cashew export: 180,000–220,000 tons
- Percentage of total export earnings: 90–95 % (World Bank 2024)
- Farmgate price paid to farmers: US $0.60–$0.90 per kilo
- Retail price of 200 g roasted cashews in Paris or Lisbon: $8–12
India and Vietnam buy almost every nut raw, process them, and sell them back to the world at six to ten times the price.
In Guinea-Bissau, most farmers have never tasted a roasted cashew.A Political Timeline Written in Cashew Seasons
2012 – Global cashew price collapses. Farmers burn stockpiles. Army chief assassinated. Twelve days later, a coup.
2014–2019 – Every presidential campaign is decided by one promise: “I will raise the cashew floor price.”
2020 – COVID closes borders. Soldiers are literally paid in sacks of cashews.
2023 – President Embaló tries to ban raw exports. Army threatens mutiny within 48 hours. Decree cancelled.
2024 – Farmers warn: “If the price falls below 500 CFA, we march on Bissau.”
The Farmers Who Grow a Country
In the villages of Biombo, Cacheu, and Oio, a farmer owns one to three hectares of old Portuguese-era trees. Children leave school to pick. Women crack shells by hand — the caustic oil leaves scars called “kaju fire.”
And then there is the fruit itself — the red or yellow cashew apple — usually thrown away.
Except in Guinea-Bissau.
Manjak Cashew-Fruit Chicken (Galinhada di Kaju)
The dish that turns waste into celebration.
Ingredients (serves 6–8)
- 1 large village chicken, cut into pieces
- 12–15 fresh cashew fruits (the “apples”)
- 4 tablespoons red palm oil
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 4 scotch bonnet peppers (or to taste)
- 6 grains of paradise or black pepper
- Salt and a little water
Method
- Squeeze the cashew fruits by hand to extract the tart juice.
- Marinate chicken in the juice for 2–4 hours.
- Heat palm oil, fry onions, brown chicken lightly.
- Add remaining marinade, whole peppers, and seasoning.
- Simmer slowly 1½–2 hours until sauce is thick and orange-red.
- Serve with rice or cassava fufu.
The Question No Politician Wants to Answer
Climate models predict a 20–30 % drop in yields by 2040.
When one nut equals one nation’s survival, what happens when the tree stops giving?The farmers already know the proverb’s second half:
“If the cashew stops dancing, the people will start.”For more on how food and cooking traditions illustrate government policy and political economy, check out the main hub: Recipes Explain Politics: A Political Economy Hub
Permanent archive: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17329200 (article added December 2025)
Selected for consideration by the Library of Congress Web Archives and the National Archives of Nigeria.© 2025 Ivy · The African Gourmet. All rights reserved.
