Ahmed Sékou Touré

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Ahmed Sékou Touré (January 9, 1922 - March 26, 1984) was the first President of Guinea (1958 - 1984).

From a poor family, Touré was always a man with clear socialist leanings. He was at first a labour union activist and then General Secretary of the Postal Workers' Union by 1945. He was very popular among the people partly because of his stirring speeches. It was thanks to this that he became a key founder of the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain.

In 1956 he was elected Guinea's deputy to the French National Assembly and mayor of Conakry. Winning the referendum for independence, he led Guinea out of the French Community by 1958 becoming Guinea's president and what at first looked like an example to the rest of Africa.

He was quoted as saying on the presidential election result “We prefer poverty in liberty to riches in slavery." His quote was often slandered as he delivered on both sides of it. He gave them slavery and poverty, and he himself amassed the riches. Known to use a communist oppression tactic of labour camps like the Soviet gulags he is feared to have killed upwards of 200,000 people in this manner.

He was known to have enjoyed poetry and philosophy.


Preceded by:
(none)
President of Guinea
1958–1984
Succeeded by:
Louis Lansana Beavogui
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