Huambo – The governor of Huambo province, Lotti Nolika, reiterated on Wednesday the local government's continued commitment to improving the social conditions of citizens, through solidarity between generations.
In the message of exhortation distributed to ANGOP, on the occasion of the celebration of the 63rd anniversary of the Day of the Martyrs of Colonial Repression, which is celebrated on the 4th of this month, she said that the well-being of families continues to be at the center of attention of the Government of Huambo, with the creation of more opportunities for young people.
She added that the authorities will also focus on the protection and enhancement of the role of the elderly and children, with a focus on the promotion of the family as a pillar of the Nation and on integral development.
Lotti Nolika stated that the celebration of the Day of the Martyrs of Colonial Repression aims to honor the victims of the massacre of Baixa de Cassanje and, at the same time, recognize the vital role of the Angolan people, exalting the bravery of the heroic sons of the Angolan people.
She recalled that in 1961 thousands of peasants in Baixa de Cassanje faced inhumanities from the Portuguese colonial army, in response to just demands.
According to the Governor, this episode not only marked the resistance, but also boosted the national consciousness, uniting Angolans for the beginning of the Armed Struggle for National Liberation on February 4 of the same year, which culminated in the proclamation of National Independence, on November 11, 1975.
She stressed that the commemoration of Martyrs' Day remembers the sacrifices, determination and selflessness of the heroes of the past.
Therefore, she urged the population to follow the example of bravery of the heroes of January 4 and to show deep respect for those who gave their lives so that today Angola could be free and become a sovereign country.
It is hoped that the population will continue to preserve the hard-won peace, so that it can be the foundation for true national reconciliation and development, paying honor and glory to the heroes who fell in the Baixa de Cassanje massacre, so that the example of courage can guide every Angolan towards a future of prosperity and unity.
The 4th of January 1961 represents a historic milestone that affected more than ten thousand peasants from the former Angola Cotton Company (Cotonang), in Baixa de Cassanje, who were savagely murdered by the Portuguese colonialists, demanding workers' rights, abolition from forced labor, exemption from paying taxes and other ill-treatment to which they were subjected by the colonial yoke. ALH/DOJ
