Luanda - Angolan nationalist Luzia Inglês "Inga" on Friday highlighted the sacrifice and bravery of thousands of Angolans from the Baixa de Cassanje, Malanje province, who marked the struggle for social and civil rights against Portuguese colonialism.
In an interview with ANGOP on January 4, the Day of the Martyrs of Colonial Repression, which will be commemorated on Saturday, the nationalist stressed that these peasants did not take up arms and that it was therefore a peaceful revolt.
Emotionally speaking about this region, Malanje, where her mother was born, the politician pointed out that it was a revolt of Angolans, peasants, that took place in 1961, who were fed up with the way they were being exploited.
The former anti-colonial guerrilla fighter also highlights the fact that this (revolt) took place at a time when politicians in other regions were already prepared to bring about other events, such as February 4, the date on which the armed struggle began.
In her opinion, after almost 500 years of colonization in Angola, this was a demonstration by Angolans that they were tired.
"The peasants were tired of being exploited, they couldn't work on their own land. The good land belonged to the settlers, and they had to work for them, and often they weren't paid, and when they were paid, it was a pittance, which was practically slave labor," she said.
Luzia Ingles urged young people to be educated to respect the sacrifice of previous generations who did so much to free themselves from the colonial yoke.
"Unfortunately, the associations and some political groups haven't done enough work with the communities to educate the youth, who today are very weak and often want to benefit without sacrificing," she said.
She also said that these sacrifices mean "a greater commitment to work for the development of this homeland that many of us fought for to achieve independence, which is on its way to 50 years".
For this nationalist, there have been many failures in the process of transmitting knowledge about the importance and value of aspects or dates like January 4, especially on the part of associations, churches or even political organizations, which is why the new generations don't fully understand the intricacies of these events.
However, she praised the role of the media, because in this context something has been done to prevent history from being erased.
On January 4, 1961, agricultural workers from the Baixa do Cassange, employed by the Companhia Geral dos Algodões de Angola (COTONANG), a Portuguese-Belgian company that owned cotton plantations, stopped work to demand better working and living conditions, to protest the delay in payment of wages and the forced cultivation of cotton.
Among these, the colonial regime's forced cultivation of cotton in the Baixa do Cassange region had a major impact on a community of peasants who had previously lived from agricultural production.
To contain the uprising, the colonial authorities launched a brutal crackdown that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Angolans.
January 4, 1961 is a key date in Angola's struggle for independence. MEL/SC/CF/AMP
