The port of Bissau, known as Porto Pidjiguiti, is both a working harbour and a place of historical weight. The docks where dock workers were massacred by Portuguese colonial police in 1959 have been memorialised at the waterfront, and the date of the massacre — 3 August — is observed as a national holiday. The Maão de Timba monument in nearby Praça dos Mártires (Martyrs' Square) commemorates the independence struggle more broadly.
The port is still active — ferries to the Bijagos Islands depart from here, and fishing boats work the estuary — and the waterfront area is one of the more animated parts of the city. Walking along the esplanade in the late afternoon is one of Bissau's more pleasant activities.