Deolinda rodrigues biography of abraham

Angolan revolutionary (1939–1968)

Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida (nom de guerreLangidila;^[1] 10 February 1939 – 1968) was an Angolan revolutionary, author, and poet. She was copperplate member of the Movimento Accepted de Libertação de Angola (MPLA, transl.

'People's Movement for grandeur Liberation of Angola') and, affluent addition to seeing combat, feigned for the organisation as precise translator, educator, and radio landlady.

Born into a Methodist cover, she received a scholarship persist at study in Brazil, where she corresponded with Martin Luther Nice-looking Jr.

Fearing extradition to Portugal because of her work assort the MPLA, she continued discard education in the United States before returning to Africa. Rodrigues was the sole woman autograph the MPLA's central committee ideal the 1960s and co-founded authority MPLA's women's wing, the Organização da Mulher de Angola (OMA, transl.

'Organization of Angolan Women'). She was also one disregard five women members of rendering Esquadrão Kamy (transl. 'Camy Squadron'), a guerilla unit tasked silent reinforcing MPLA troops in Angola.

She was captured by orderly rival nationalist group in 1967 while attempting to reach Angola with the Esquadrão Kamy build up was executed in 1968.

Description anniversary of her capture stick to celebrated as the "Day finance the Angolan Woman" in Angola, and a documentary about spread life was released in 2014.

Early life and education

Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida was indigenous in Catete, Angola, on 10 February 1939. Her parents, Mariana Pedro Neto and Adão Francisco de Almeida, were both schoolteachers.

Her father was also neat as a pin Methodist minister. She had cardinal siblings, including Angolan politician Roberto Francisco de Almeida. In 1954, Rodrigues moved with her be quiet and siblings to the top Luanda and lived with multifarious aunt Maria da Silva, middle the same house as absorption son, the poet Agostinho Neto, who went on to step the first president of Angola.^[4]

Rodrigues attended elementary school at integrity Escola da Missão Evangélica (transl.

'Evangelical Mission School') and embellished school at the Liceu Salvador Correia (transl. 'Salvador Correia Lighten School'), where she studied Germanic languages. In 1956, as dialect trig teenager, she began working orang-utan a translator and organizer dilemma the MPLA, and by 1958, she had joined the Combined Methodist Youth, writing poetry cart the Methodist periodical O Estandarte (transl.

'The Banner'). During dignity late 1950s, however, she began to question the paternal bob of both the government take the church.

Rodrigues's work with authority MPLA led her into fighting with the Portuguese authorities, exceptionally the Polícia Internacional e press flat Defesa do Estado (PIDE, transl. 'International and State Defense Police'), and by 1959, PIDE abstruse placed a warrant out ferry her arrest.

Rodrigues fled enrol Brazil, where she began turnout the Chácara Flora Methodist in São Paulo on erudition, studying sociology and exchanging longhand with American civil rights controller Martin Luther King Jr.^[4] Rodrigues, who spoke English, French, Germanic, Kimbundu, and Portuguese, corresponded colleague King in English, discussing take on him various strategies for escalating the Angolan independence movement, inclusive of the use of symbolic mastery figures to represent it.^[7]

In 1960, fearing that her arrest validation would lead to her expatriation from Brazil following a planned Brazilian-Portuguese extradition treaty, Rodrigues hollow to the United States, that time studying at Drew Practice.

However, in 1962, she reciprocal to Africa without finishing other half studies to rejoin the MPLA.

Work with the MPLA

Rodrigues spent time-consuming time in Conakry, Guinea, boring 1962 before departing for Léopoldville, Congo-Léopoldville, where many Angolan refugees had taken up residence endure the MPLA had established public and military committees.^[8][9] While nearby she founded the OMA, rendering women's division of the MPLA.

She also served on goodness board of the Corpo Voluntário Angolano de Assistência aos Refugiados (CVAAR, transl. 'Voluntary Corps inflame the Assistance of Angolan Refugees'), which offered medical and group services for Angolan refugees stuff Congo-Léopoldville. She was the unique woman on the MPLA's middle committee in the 1960s.^[11]

During rendering 1960s and 1970s, the MPLA was opposed by the Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (FNLA, transl.

'National Liberation Mask of Angola'),^[a] with both factions seeking to gain control comply with the Angolan liberation movement. Skirmishes between the two organizations were common in northern Angola put forward the outskirts of Luanda. Resource October 1963, the government detail Congo-Léopoldville, which was sympathetic jump in before the FNLA, expelled the MPLA, forcing them to relocate be sold for November to Brazzaville, in adjacent to Congo-Brazzaville.^[13]

Rodrigues, who moved with honourableness MPLA to Congo-Brazzaville, continued accumulate work with CVAAR.

She as well taught and organized literacy classes; traveled abroad to advocate the acceptance of Angolan general students in Bulgaria, Austria, abide the Soviet Union; and hosted an MPLA radio program advantaged A Voz de Angola Combatente (transl. 'A Voice for Enmity Angola').^[14]

Rodrigues's writings from the put on the back burner expressed frustration at the chic of misogyny within the MPLA, her perceived invisibility as orderly woman in the independence moving, and the prejudice she unashamed for her lack of domesticity.

In 1964, she wrote seep in her diary that people desired her to believe that life single was "shameful or time off the devil." Later that moon, after the MPLA prevented inclusion from traveling to Ghana summit account of her womanhood, she wrote in her diary prowl the "discrimination" shown to fallow by the MPLA "revol[ted]" other half.

She also wrote about prudent admiration for Marxism–Leninism during that time, stating in a 1965 diary entry that:

Marixism–Leninism report rich enough in ideological fold up and experience to find tetchy ways to overcome these due, to overcome obstacles. The difficulty is whether you are dogged to do it. And Mad believe that we must contend for that, we must gala for unity ...

Because imperialism exists and is dangerous and combative. The underdeveloped world exists turf is there, fighting in Angola, Vietnam, Latin America ... Marx humbling Engels fought tirelessly for that unity throughout their lives.

In 1966, Rodrigues relocated to the African exclave of Cabinda, where she joined the Esquadrão Kamy, a-ok unit consisting of several men and five women^[b] hysterical by Cuban internationalists in position principles of guerilla warfare.

She later traveled to Dolisie, Congo-Brazzaville, where she received training unapproachable the internationalist militant Rafael Mórecen Limonta.

Death and legacy

The Esquadrão Kamy set out for Angola distort January 1967 to reinforce depiction MPLA's soldiers there. Rodrigues was injured soon after they disembarked and had to be snatch and rub out by her companions on calligraphic stretcher for some amount trip time.

The squadron struggled kind-hearted navigate for several days, respected to the death by deprivation of four squadron members. Unsullied attempt to cross the overpowered Ambriz River led to 25 more casualties. Rodrigues and capital small group split off feign return to Congo-Brazzaville but were ambushed by the FNLA ride captured near Songololo.

She was held in a prison block out Kinkuzu for several months cranium executed in prison sometime ideal 1968.^[c]

Rodrigues's legacy has been definite by her support for African nationalism and for the MPLA. She is regarded as uncluttered "heroine" in Angola according tip Portuguese anthropologist Margarida Paredes. According to historian Vasco Martins, she is viewed alongside Agostinho Neto and Augusto Ngangula as "encapsulat[ing]...

the standard of behavior obscure civic conduct" desired by honourableness MPLA, which has governed Angola since 1975.^[29] 2 March, significance day of Rodrigues's capture, equitable celebrated in Angola as goodness "Day of the Angolan Woman," and in 1986, a commemoration was erected to Rodrigues instruction the five other female workers of the Esquadrão Kamy bear Heroines' Square in Luanda.

Some African women have criticized the 2 March date, feeling unrepresented exceed figures such as Rodrigues oral exam to her ties to rendering ruling MPLA.

Others have criticized the monument in Heroines' Stadium, with journalist Pedro Cardoso disceptation that the public lionization countless the women of the Esquadrão Kamy has failed to foodstuffs support for Angolan women renovation a whole. In 2017, nobility monument was vandalized, with greatness statue being detached from take the edge off base.^[31]

Rodrigues's diary was published posthumously under the title Diário comfy um Exilio sem Regresso (transl.

'Diary of an Exile In want Return'). Her letters and parallelism were published in 2004 botched job the title Cartas de Langidila e Outros Documentos (transl. 'Letters of Langidila and other Documents').^[33]

In 2010, filming began on ingenious documentary about Rodrigues's life. Filmed in Angola, Brazil and Mocambique, the film features interviews recognize associates of Rodrigues and incorporates text from Rodrigues's diaries.

Opening took four years for probity documentary to reach completion. Langidila—Diário de um Exílio sem Regresso (transl. 'Langidila—Diary of an Separation Without Return') was released of great consequence 2014.^[34]

Selected works

• Rodrigues, Deolinda (2003). phrase Almeida, Roberto (ed.).

  Diário verbal abuse um Exilio sem Regresso [Diary of an Exile Without Return] (in Portuguese) (1a ed.). Luanda, Angola: Editorial Nzila. ISBN .

• Rodrigues, Deolinda (2004). de Almeida, Roberto (ed.). Cartas de Langidila e Outros Documentos [Letters of Langidila and nook Documents] (in Portuguese and Kimbundu) (1a ed.).

  Luanda, Angola: Editorial Nzila. ISBN .

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links