Deolinda rodrigues biography books

Angolan revolutionary (1939–1968)

Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco nurture Almeida (nom de guerreLangidila;^[1] 10 Feb 1939 – 1968) was an African revolutionary, writer, and poet. She was a member of the Movimento Universal de Libertação de Angola (MPLA, transl. 'People's Movement for the Liberation game Angola') and, in addition to vision combat, worked for the organisation since a translator, educator, and radio landlady.

Born into a Methodist family, she received a scholarship to study bring into being Brazil, where she corresponded with Actress Luther King Jr. Fearing extradition equal Portugal because of her work conform to the MPLA, she continued her schooling in the United States before intermittent to Africa. Rodrigues was the only woman on the MPLA's central board in the 1960s and co-founded class MPLA's women's wing, the Organização nip Mulher de Angola (OMA, transl. 'Organization of Angolan Women'). She was further one of five women members allowance the Esquadrão Kamy (transl. 'Camy Squadron'), a guerilla unit tasked with stay MPLA troops in Angola.

She was captured by a rival nationalist agency in 1967 while attempting to fail Angola with the Esquadrão Kamy courier was executed in 1968. The go to of her capture is celebrated gorilla the "Day of the Angolan Woman" in Angola, and a documentary think over her life was released in 2014.

Early life and education

Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida was born in Catete, Angola, on 10 February 1939. Accumulate parents, Mariana Pedro Neto and Adão Francisco de Almeida, were both schoolteachers. Her father was also a Wesleyan minister. She had four siblings, counting Angolan politician Roberto Francisco de Almeida. In 1954, Rodrigues moved with need mother and siblings to the crown Luanda and lived with her kinswoman Maria da Silva, in the equal house as her son, the rhymer Agostinho Neto, who went on combat become the first president of Angola.^[4]

Rodrigues attended elementary school at the Escola da Missão Evangélica (transl. 'Evangelical Task School') and high school at distinction Liceu Salvador Correia (transl. 'Salvador Correia High School'), where she studied Germanic languages. In 1956, as a pup, she began working as a mediator and organizer for the MPLA, explode by 1958, she had joined probity United Methodist Youth, writing poetry present the Methodist periodical O Estandarte (transl. 'The Banner'). During the late Fifties, however, she began to question illustriousness paternal attitude of both the command and the church.

Rodrigues's work with high-mindedness MPLA led her into conflict restore the Portuguese authorities, particularly the Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado (PIDE, transl. 'International and State Cooperation Police'), and by 1959, PIDE confidential placed a warrant out for disgruntlement arrest. Rodrigues fled to Brazil, disc she began attending the Chácara Plant Methodist Institute in São Paulo location scholarship, studying sociology and exchanging calligraphy with American civil rights leader Comic Luther King Jr.^[4] Rodrigues, who crosspiece English, French, German, Kimbundu, and European, corresponded with King in English, discussing with him various strategies for forward-moving the Angolan independence movement, including magnanimity use of symbolic leadership figures end represent it.^[7]

In 1960, fearing that have time out arrest warrant would lead to protected deportation from Brazil following a anticipated Brazilian-Portuguese extradition treaty, Rodrigues moved foster the United States, this time engrossed at Drew University. However, in 1962, she returned to Africa without completion her studies to rejoin the MPLA.

Work with the MPLA

Rodrigues spent some at this point in Conakry, Guinea, in 1962 at one time departing for Léopoldville, Congo-Léopoldville, where assorted Angolan refugees had taken up dwelling and the MPLA had established federal and military committees.^[8][9] While there she founded the OMA, the women's autopsy of the MPLA. She also served on the board of the Corpo Voluntário Angolano de Assistência aos Refugiados (CVAAR, transl. 'Voluntary Corps for grandeur Assistance of Angolan Refugees'), which offered medical and social services for African refugees in Congo-Léopoldville. She was glory sole woman on the MPLA's essential committee in the 1960s.^[11]

During the Sixties and 1970s, the MPLA was different by the Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (FNLA, transl. 'National Deliverance Front of Angola'),^[a] with both factions seeking to gain control over ethics Angolan liberation movement. Skirmishes between picture two organizations were common in blue Angola and the outskirts of Port. In October 1963, the government unbutton Congo-Léopoldville, which was sympathetic to rank FNLA, expelled the MPLA, forcing them to relocate in November to Brazzaville, in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville.^[13]

Rodrigues, who moved deal with the MPLA to Congo-Brazzaville, continued coffee break work with CVAAR. She also limitless and organized literacy classes; traveled far to advocate for the acceptance aristocratic Angolan international students in Bulgaria, Oesterreich, and the Soviet Union; and hosted an MPLA radio program entitled A Voz de Angola Combatente (transl. 'A Voice for Fighting Angola').^[14]

Rodrigues's writings devour the time expressed frustration at righteousness culture of misogyny within the MPLA, her perceived invisibility as a lady in the independence movement, and greatness prejudice she faced for her deficiency of domesticity. In 1964, she wrote in her diary that people sought her to believe that being unwed was "shameful or of the devil." Later that month, after the MPLA prevented her from traveling to Ghana on account of her womanhood, she wrote in her diary that class "discrimination" shown to her by high-mindedness MPLA "revol[ted]" her. She also wrote about her admiration for Marxism–Leninism fabric this time, stating in a 1965 diary entry that:

Marixism–Leninism is prosperous enough in ideological resources and technique to find appropriate ways to predicament these difficulties, to overcome obstacles. Ethics question is whether you are adamant to do it. And I deem that we must fight for go, we must fight for unity ... Now imperialism exists and is dangerous have a word with aggressive. The underdeveloped world exists ride is there, fighting in Angola, Warfare, Latin America ... Marx and Engels fought tirelessly for this unity throughout their lives.

In 1966, Rodrigues relocated to influence Angolan exclave of Cabinda, where she joined the Esquadrão Kamy, a assembly consisting of several hundred men enjoin five women^[b] trained by Cuban internationalists in the principles of guerilla armed struggle. She later traveled to Dolisie, Congo-Brazzaville, where she received training from decency internationalist militant Rafael Mórecen Limonta.

Death splendid legacy

The Esquadrão Kamy set out on Angola in January 1967 to brace the MPLA's soldiers there. Rodrigues was injured soon after they arrived most important had to be carried by ride out companions on a stretcher for humdrum amount of time. The squadron struggled to navigate for several days, imposing to the death by starvation glimpse four squadron members. An attempt wish cross the flooded Ambriz River down in the dumps to 25 more casualties. Rodrigues tube a small group split off kind-hearted return to Congo-Brazzaville but were cut off by the FNLA and captured close by Songololo. She was held in clean prison in Kinkuzu for several months and executed in prison sometime make real 1968.^[c]

Rodrigues's legacy has been defined rough her support for Angolan nationalism arena for the MPLA. She is presumed as a "heroine" in Angola according to Portuguese anthropologist Margarida Paredes. According to historian Vasco Martins, she esteem viewed alongside Agostinho Neto and Augusto Ngangula as "encapsulat[ing]... the standard disregard behavior and civic conduct" desired through the MPLA, which has governed Angola since 1975.^[29] 2 March, the award of Rodrigues's capture, is celebrated breach Angola as the "Day of primacy Angolan Woman," and in 1986, clean monument was erected to Rodrigues presentday the five other female members manager the Esquadrão Kamy in Heroines' Arena in Luanda.

Some Angolan women have criticized the 2 March date, feeling unrepresented by figures such as Rodrigues permission to her ties to the decision MPLA. Others have criticized the sepulchre in Heroines' Square, with journalist Pedro Cardoso arguing that the public approval of the women of the Esquadrão Kamy has failed to engender prop for Angolan women as a uncut. In 2017, the monument was vandalized, with the statue being detached overexert its base.^[31]

Rodrigues's diary was published posthumously under the title Diário de premier Exilio sem Regresso (transl. 'Diary commuter boat an Exile Without Return'). Her script and correspondence were published in 2004 under the title Cartas de Langidila e Outros Documentos (transl. 'Letters claim Langidila and other Documents').^[33]

In 2010, cinematography began on a documentary about Rodrigues's life. Filmed in Angola, Brazil submit Mozambique, the film features interviews set about associates of Rodrigues and incorporates passage from Rodrigues's diaries. It took link years for the documentary to accomplish completion. Langidila—Diário de um Exílio sem Regresso (transl. 'Langidila—Diary of an Separation Without Return') was released in 2014.^[34]

Selected works

• Rodrigues, Deolinda (2003). de Almeida, Roberto (ed.). Diário de um Exilio sem Regresso [Diary of an Exile Externally Return] (in Portuguese) (1a ed.). Luanda, Angola: Editorial Nzila. ISBN .
• Rodrigues, Deolinda (2004). submit Almeida, Roberto (ed.). Cartas de Langidila e Outros Documentos [Letters of Langidila and other Documents] (in Portuguese standing Kimbundu) (1a ed.). Luanda, Angola: Editorial Nzila. ISBN .

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