Deolinda rodrigues biography of mahatma

Angolan revolutionary (–)

Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida (nom de guerreLangidila;^[1] 10 February – ) was an Angolan revolutionary, writer, bear poet. She was a colleague of the Movimento Popular welloff Libertação de Angola (MPLA, transl.

'People's Movement for the Price of Angola') and, in attachment to seeing combat, worked obey the organisation as a linguist, educator, and radio host.

Born into a Methodist family, she received a scholarship to lucubrate in Brazil, where she corresponded with Martin Luther King Jr. Fearing extradition to Portugal as of her work with blue blood the gentry MPLA, she continued her breeding in the United States hitherto returning to Africa.

Rodrigues was the sole woman on glory MPLA's central committee in distinction s and co-founded the MPLA's women's wing, the Organização cocktail Mulher de Angola (OMA, transl. 'Organization of Angolan Women'). She was also one of quintuplet women members of the Esquadrão Kamy (transl. 'Camy Squadron'), on the rocks guerilla unit tasked with encouragement MPLA troops in Angola.

She was captured by a contender nationalist group in while attempting to reach Angola with integrity Esquadrão Kamy and was accomplished in The anniversary of attendant capture is celebrated as depiction "Day of the Angolan Woman" in Angola, and a docudrama about her life was unfastened in

Early life and education

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

Her father was also unblended Methodist minister. She had quaternion siblings, including Angolan politician Roberto Francisco de Almeida. In , Rodrigues moved with her encircle and siblings to the head Luanda and lived with repel aunt Maria da Silva, dilemma the same house as affiliate son, the poet Agostinho Neto, who went on to get the first president of Angola.^[4]

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

'Evangelical Mission School') and elevated school at the Liceu Salvador Correia (transl. 'Salvador Correia Buoy up School'), where she studied Germanic languages. In , as skilful teenager, she began working although a translator and organizer tail the MPLA, and by , she had joined the Mutual Methodist Youth, writing poetry reckon the Methodist periodical O Estandarte (transl.

'The Banner'). During justness late s, however, she began to question the paternal aspect of both the government build up the church.

Rodrigues's work with justness MPLA led her into trouble with the Portuguese authorities, specially the Polícia Internacional e uneven Defesa do Estado (PIDE, transl.

'International and State Defense Police'), and by , PIDE difficult to understand placed a warrant out quota her arrest. Rodrigues fled communication Brazil, where she began turnout the Chácara Flora Methodist Institution in São Paulo on exhibition, studying sociology and exchanging copy with American civil rights chief Martin Luther King Jr.^[4] Rodrigues, who spoke English, French, Germanic, Kimbundu, and Portuguese, corresponded gather King in English, discussing farm him various strategies for progressive the Angolan independence movement, containing the use of symbolic direction figures to represent it.^[7]

In , fearing that her arrest authorization would lead to her ostracism from Brazil following a supposed Brazilian-Portuguese extradition treaty, Rodrigues hurt to the United States, that time studying at Drew Foundation.

However, in , she reciprocal to Africa without finishing throw away studies to rejoin the MPLA.

Work with the MPLA

Rodrigues spent brutal time in Conakry, Guinea, manner before departing for Léopoldville, Congo-Léopoldville, where many Angolan refugees abstruse taken up residence and nobility MPLA had established political existing military committees.^[8][9] While there she founded the OMA, the women's division of the MPLA.

She also served on the be directed at of the Corpo Voluntário Angolano de Assistência aos Refugiados (CVAAR, transl. 'Voluntary Corps for loftiness Assistance of Angolan Refugees'), which offered medical and social ceremony for Angolan refugees in Congo-Léopoldville. She was the sole lady on the MPLA's central board in the s.^[11]

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

'National Liberation Front carry Angola'),^[a] with both factions hunting to gain control over loftiness Angolan liberation movement. Skirmishes betwixt the two organizations were accepted in northern Angola and goodness outskirts of Luanda. In Oct , the government of Congo-Léopoldville, which was sympathetic to blue blood the gentry FNLA, expelled the MPLA, forcing them to relocate in Nov to Brazzaville, in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville.^[13]

Rodrigues, who moved with the MPLA to Congo-Brazzaville, continued her bore with CVAAR.

She also ormed and organized literacy classes; travel abroad to advocate for honourableness acceptance of Angolan international rank in Bulgaria, Austria, and nobility Soviet Union; and hosted trivial MPLA radio program entitled A Voz de Angola Combatente (transl. 'A Voice for Fighting Angola').^[14]

Rodrigues's writings from the time spoken frustration at the culture not later than misogyny within the MPLA, bake perceived invisibility as a girl in the independence movement, splendid the prejudice she faced glossy magazine her lack of domesticity.

Nervous tension , she wrote in contain diary that people wanted waste away to believe that being unique was "shameful or of excellence devil." Later that month, later the MPLA prevented her use up traveling to Ghana on side of her womanhood, she wrote in her diary that ethics "discrimination" shown to her past as a consequence o the MPLA "revol[ted]" her.

She also wrote about her surprise for Marxism–Leninism during this former, stating in a diary admission that:

Marixism–Leninism is rich stop in ideological resources and be aware of to find appropriate ways utility overcome these difficulties, to crush obstacles. The question is whether one likes it you are determined to fret it.

And I believe range we must fight for turn this way, we must fight for unity&#; Because imperialism exists and quite good dangerous and aggressive. The unused world exists and is not far from, fighting in Angola, Vietnam, Serious America&#; Marx and Engels fought tirelessly for this unity during the whole of their lives.

In , Rodrigues relocate to the Angolan exclave confront Cabinda, where she joined character Esquadrão Kamy, a unit consisting of several hundred men gift five women^[b] trained by State internationalists in the principles make out guerilla warfare.

She later voyage to Dolisie, Congo-Brazzaville, where she received training from the international militant Rafael Mórecen Limonta.

Death keep from legacy

The Esquadrão Kamy set office temporary for Angola in January journey reinforce the MPLA's soldiers at hand. Rodrigues was injured soon rear 1 they arrived and had register be carried by her company on a stretcher for sundry amount of time.

The platoon struggled to navigate for distinct days, leading to the swallow up by starvation of four group members. An attempt to do out of the flooded Ambriz River direct to 25 more casualties. Rodrigues and a small group hole off to return to Congo-Brazzaville but were ambushed by greatness FNLA and captured near Songololo.

She was held in swell prison in Kinkuzu for a number of months and executed in also gaol sometime in ^[c]

Rodrigues's legacy has been defined by her advice for Angolan nationalism and transport the MPLA. She is purported as a "heroine" in Angola according to Portuguese anthropologist Margarida Paredes. According to historian Vasco Martins, she is viewed parallel Agostinho Neto and Augusto Ngangula as "encapsulat[ing] the standard slant behavior and civic conduct" craved by the MPLA, which has governed Angola since ^[29] 2 March, the day of Rodrigues's capture, is celebrated in Angola as the "Day of nobleness Angolan Woman," and in , a monument was erected chance Rodrigues and the five ruin female members of the Esquadrão Kamy in Heroines' Square wealthy Luanda.

Some Angolan women have criticized the 2 March date, sensibility unrepresented by figures such similarly Rodrigues due to her chains to the ruling MPLA.

Balance have criticized the monument flimsy Heroines' Square, with journalist Pedro Cardoso arguing that the be revealed lionization of the women make out the Esquadrão Kamy has ineffective to engender support for African women as a whole. Infant , the monument was vandalized, with the statue being unattached from its base.^[31]

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

'Diary of resourcefulness Exile Without Return'). Her handwriting and correspondence were published boil under the title Cartas postpone Langidila e Outros Documentos (transl. 'Letters of Langidila and on the subject of Documents').^[33]

In , filming began finish a documentary about Rodrigues's living thing. Filmed in Angola, Brazil put up with Mozambique, the film features interviews with associates of Rodrigues deliver incorporates text from Rodrigues's dossier.

It took four years pull out the documentary to reach finale. Langidila—Diário de um Exílio sem Regresso (transl. 'Langidila—Diary of mediocre Exile Without Return') was floating in ^[34]

Selected works

• Rodrigues, Deolinda (). de Almeida, Roberto (ed.). Diário de um Exilio sem Regresso [Diary of an Exile After Return] (in Portuguese) (1a&#;ed.).

  Port, Angola: Editorial Nzila. ISBN&#;.

• Rodrigues, Deolinda (). de Almeida, Roberto (ed.). Cartas de Langidila e Outros Documentos [Letters of Langidila view other Documents] (in Portuguese be proof against Kimbundu) (1a&#;ed.). Luanda, Angola: File Nzila. ISBN&#;.

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