October - December 2015 •
The Lion King
• 27
Découvertes 2015. Some others like
Soul Bang’s, Instinct Killer, Kandia Kora,
Fodé Baro, are also popular in Guinea.
Historical sites
Guinea has diverse tourist attractions
made up of beautiful architectural
landscapes in the countryside and
numerous islands.
Some of the notable sights include;
the Loos Islands which is about thirty
minutes from Conakry, the beach-
es of Cape Verga, Tristao, Capken
and Alcatraz Islands, Bel Air beach,
Sobanè Beach and many others.
In the countryside, there are excit-
ing views like: the Mount Kakulima,
42 km from Conakry, the Mount Lura
also called the Lady of Mali(a region
of Fouta Djallon), highest eleva-
tion in the Fouta Djalon, Kinkon Falls
(Pita), Djouroungui Falls(Pita), Ditinn
Falls(Dalaba) and Salla Falls (Labé)
and Bridal Veil and Kilissi Waters
(Kindia), etc.
Those interested in eco-tourism will also
find exciting; the Gambia and Niger
river bassins; the pine forest and arbo-
retum Knight Dalaba; The Hot Springs
of Foulamory, Mount Nimba with its
viviparous toads, classified world heri-
Coast and Senegal. He joined the
French army in 1955 and was sent
to Algeria to take part in the French
failed attempt to suppress the inde-
pendence movement.
At Guinea's independence three years
later, he was inducted into its army
as a sergeant and rose to become
an officer. In 1971 he was promoted
to captain by the president, Ahmed
Sékou Touré, for his role in resisting
an attempted invasion by Guinean
exiles from neighbouring Portuguese
Guinea, now called Guinea-Bissau.
The tables were turned, when he was
appointed to head Guinea's sup-
port for pro-independence rebels in
Portuguese Guinea.
Then in 1980, he was elected to the
national assembly.
When Sékou Touré, who led Guinea
from independence, died in March
1984, the prime minister, Louis Lansana
Beavogui, served as president for just
a month before Conté toppled him in
a military coup, suspended the con-
stitution and banned political activity.
The military administration proclaimed
Conté president.
Within a year, Conté was fighting off
attempts to remove him from power,
led by former Prime Minister Diarra
Traoré, who was executed along with
about 100 rebellious soldiers of the
former regime.
Lansana Conté was the only military
president to install a multiparty rule
and favour a market economy in the
early 90s. That led him to win favour in
the west by turning away from his pre-
decessor's leftwing policies with IMF-
backed cuts in government spending
and currency devaluation. He plant-
ed his political flag firmly in the western
camp.
He died on the 22nd December 2008
in Conakry.
tage by UNESCO, the sacred forests.
For cultural tourism, Guinea is a mosa-
ic of 29 ethnic groups of great diversity
and cultural wealth. The country is also
home to a large population of chim-
panzees, warthogs, elephants, lions,
small venison and migratory birds.
Notable personality
General LANSANA CONTÉ
General Lansana Conté
G
eneral Lasana Conte was born
in 1934 in Dubreka (Maritime
Guinea) and was educated
at an Islamic school before attend-
ing French military schools in Ivory
Cascades de la Soumba
Photo by Martin Baran / flickr
The Republic of Guinea |
Country Focus
