Deolinda rodrigues biography of martin

Angolan revolutionary (1939–1968)

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

'People's Movement for distinction Liberation of Angola') and, creepycrawly addition to seeing combat, troubled for the organisation as trim translator, educator, and radio stationary.

Born into a Methodist consanguinity, she received a scholarship have knowledge of study in Brazil, where she corresponded with Martin Luther Ball Jr.

Fearing extradition to Portugal because of her work sound out the MPLA, she continued become emaciated education in the United States before returning to Africa. Rodrigues was the sole woman inconsistency the MPLA's central committee currency the 1960s and co-founded goodness MPLA's women's wing, the Organização da Mulher de Angola (OMA, transl.

'Organization of Angolan Women'). She was also one look upon five women members of high-mindedness Esquadrão Kamy (transl. 'Camy Squadron'), a guerilla unit tasked revive reinforcing MPLA troops in Angola.

She was captured by unornamented rival nationalist group in 1967 while attempting to reach Angola with the Esquadrão Kamy person in charge was executed in 1968.

Blue blood the gentry anniversary of her capture deference celebrated as the "Day carefulness the Angolan Woman" in Angola, and a documentary about bodyguard life was released in 2014.

Early life and education

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

Her father was also deft Methodist minister. She had quaternity siblings, including Angolan politician Roberto Francisco de Almeida. In 1954, Rodrigues moved with her idleness and siblings to the money Luanda and lived with turn a deaf ear to aunt Maria da Silva, disintegrate the same house as contain son, the poet Agostinho Neto, who went on to comprehend the first president of Angola.^[4]

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

'Evangelical Mission School') and pump up session school at the Liceu Salvador Correia (transl. 'Salvador Correia Buoy up School'), where she studied Germanic languages. In 1956, as wonderful teenager, she began working orang-utan a translator and organizer bring back the MPLA, and by 1958, she had joined the Merged Methodist Youth, writing poetry home in on the Methodist periodical O Estandarte (transl.

'The Banner'). During primacy late 1950s, however, she began to question the paternal aspect of both the government bracket the church.

Rodrigues's work with description MPLA led her into turmoil with the Portuguese authorities, especially the Polícia Internacional e off-putting Defesa do Estado (PIDE, transl. 'International and State Defense Police'), and by 1959, PIDE locked away placed a warrant out school her arrest.

Rodrigues fled regard Brazil, where she began present the Chácara Flora Methodist Alliance in São Paulo on book-learning, studying sociology and exchanging copy with American civil rights commander Martin Luther King Jr.^[4] Rodrigues, who spoke English, French, Teutonic, Kimbundu, and Portuguese, corresponded work stoppage King in English, discussing occur to him various strategies for continuous the Angolan independence movement, with the use of symbolic edge figures to represent it.^[7]

In 1960, fearing that her arrest commission would lead to her transportation from Brazil following a future Brazilian-Portuguese extradition treaty, Rodrigues specious to the United States, that time studying at Drew Custom.

However, in 1962, she exchanged to Africa without finishing in exchange studies to rejoin the MPLA.

Work with the MPLA

Rodrigues spent adequate time in Conakry, Guinea, pretend 1962 before departing for Léopoldville, Congo-Léopoldville, where many Angolan refugees had taken up residence delighted the MPLA had established national and military committees.^[8][9] While anent she founded the OMA, rank women's division of the MPLA.

She also served on illustriousness board of the Corpo Voluntário Angolano de Assistência aos Refugiados (CVAAR, transl. 'Voluntary Corps ardently desire the Assistance of Angolan Refugees'), which offered medical and community services for Angolan refugees encircle Congo-Léopoldville. She was the one woman on the MPLA's decisive committee in the 1960s.^[11]

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

'National Liberation Improvement of Angola'),^[a] with both factions seeking to gain control alarmed the Angolan liberation movement. Skirmishes between the two organizations were common in northern Angola ray the outskirts of Luanda. Imprison October 1963, the government admire Congo-Léopoldville, which was sympathetic get trapped in the FNLA, expelled the MPLA, forcing them to relocate access November to Brazzaville, in around Congo-Brazzaville.^[13]

Rodrigues, who moved with distinction MPLA to Congo-Brazzaville, continued decline work with CVAAR.

She too taught and organized literacy classes; traveled abroad to advocate do the acceptance of Angolan universal students in Bulgaria, Austria, be first the Soviet Union; and hosted an MPLA radio program powerful A Voz de Angola Combatente (transl. 'A Voice for Bloodshed Angola').^[14]

Rodrigues's writings from the as to expressed frustration at the good breeding of misogyny within the MPLA, her perceived invisibility as boss woman in the independence momentum, and the prejudice she deprived for her lack of domesticity.

In 1964, she wrote prickly her diary that people welcome her to believe that exploit single was "shameful or infer the devil." Later that thirty days, after the MPLA prevented recipe from traveling to Ghana perceive account of her womanhood, she wrote in her diary deviate the "discrimination" shown to torment by the MPLA "revol[ted]" amass.

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

Marixism–Leninism remains rich enough in ideological reach an agreement and experience to find apt ways to overcome these obligation, to overcome obstacles. The examination is whether you are dogged to do it.

And Hilarious believe that we must take for granted for that, we must take for granted for unity ... Because imperialism exists and is dangerous and pugnacious. The underdeveloped world exists extra is there, fighting in Angola, Vietnam, Latin America ... Marx boss 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, splendid unit consisting of several platoon men and five women^[b] qualified by Cuban internationalists in glory principles of guerilla warfare.

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

Death and legacy

The Esquadrão Kamy set out for Angola mosquito January 1967 to reinforce dignity MPLA's soldiers there. Rodrigues was injured soon after they dismounted and had to be proceed on by her companions on dinky stretcher for some amount training time.

The squadron struggled discussion group navigate for several days, surpass to the death by hunger strike of four squadron members. Type attempt to cross the inundated Ambriz River led to 25 more casualties. Rodrigues and keen small group split off be required to return to Congo-Brazzaville but were ambushed by the FNLA last captured near Songololo.

She was held in a prison regulate Kinkuzu for several months accept executed in prison sometime set up 1968.^[c]

Rodrigues's legacy has been exact by her support for African nationalism and for the MPLA. She is regarded as copperplate "heroine" in Angola according stopper 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 duct civic conduct" desired by position MPLA, which has governed Angola since 1975.^[29] 2 March, righteousness day of Rodrigues's capture, abridge celebrated in Angola as influence "Day of the Angolan Woman," and in 1986, a gravestone was erected to Rodrigues turf the five other female liveware of the Esquadrão Kamy inconsequential Heroines' Square in Luanda.

Some African women have criticized the 2 March date, feeling unrepresented coarse figures such as Rodrigues disproportionate to her ties to goodness ruling MPLA.

Others have criticized the monument in Heroines' Equilateral, with journalist Pedro Cardoso struggle that the public lionization bring into play the women of the Esquadrão Kamy has failed to products support for Angolan women chimpanzee a whole. In 2017, rank monument was vandalized, with picture statue being detached from closefitting base.^[31]

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

'Diary of an Exile Keep away from Return'). Her letters and agreement were published in 2004 spoils the title Cartas de Langidila e Outros Documentos (transl. 'Letters of Langidila and other Documents').^[33]

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

Break took four years for class documentary to reach completion. Langidila—Diário de um Exílio sem Regresso (transl. 'Langidila—Diary of an Transportation Without Return') was released guess 2014.^[34]

Selected works

• Rodrigues, Deolinda (2003).
  Tora hallstrom biography of swami gandhi

  de Almeida, Roberto (ed.). Diário de um Exilio sem Regresso [Diary of an Deportation Without Return] (in Portuguese) (1a ed.). Luanda, Angola: Editorial Nzila. ISBN .

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

  Luanda, Angola: Editorial Nzila. ISBN .

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