Luanda - Angola celebrates on Saturday the Day of the Martyrs of Colonial Repression, in honor of the thousands of defenseless Angolans massacred by the then Portuguese colonial regime in Baixa de Cassanje, Malanje province, on January 4, 1961.
Sixty-four years later, Angolans continue to remember the thousands of compatriots murdered by the Portuguese Air Force, which dropped incendiary bombs on workers protesting poor working conditions in the region.
Figures show that thousands of workers from the cotton plantations of the Portuguese-Belgian company COTONANG took part in the uprising in the center of Cassanje, protesting against the harsh living and working conditions and the constant repression of the bosses.
The "uprising" was crushed by the colonialists with napalm bombs, killing some 20,000 locals and destroying 17 villages.
The date became a milestone in the Angolan struggle for independence, as it was the most significant episode of protest against the working conditions imposed by colonial rule, both in terms of the number of victims, its duration and the number of people who participated.
It is well known that the Baixa de Cassanje massacre marked the beginning of the protest against the colonial occupation and the exploitation of Angolans.
These events in the province of Malanje will always be linked to Angolans, as they are part of the history of the uprising that culminated in the conquest of national independence, proclaimed on November 11, 1975.
It awakened the conscience of Angolan nationalists and was the seed of the movement that led to the beginning of the armed struggle for national liberation in Luanda on February 4, 1961.
Although this date is considered an important milestone in Angola's recent history, it is no longer a national holiday and is now a day of celebration, according to a law passed by the National Assembly in 2011.
The law, which repealed Law 7/03 of March 21, aimed to reduce the number of public holidays and introduce dates of national celebration, in order to guarantee the commemoration or celebration of certain events, such as January 4, without interrupting work. VIC/SC/CF/AMP
