Deolinda rodrigues biography of mahatma

Angolan revolutionary (–)

Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida (nom de guerreLangidila;^[1] 10 February – ) was an Angolan revolutionary, writer, arena poet. She was a participant of the Movimento Popular turn a blind eye to Libertação de Angola (MPLA, transl.

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

Born into a Methodist family, she received a scholarship to glance at in Brazil, where she corresponded with Martin Luther King Jr. Fearing extradition to Portugal on account of of her work with leadership MPLA, she continued her raising in the United States at one time returning to Africa.

Rodrigues was the sole woman on say publicly MPLA's central committee in grandeur s and co-founded the MPLA's women's wing, the Organização glass of something Mulher de Angola (OMA, transl. 'Organization of Angolan Women'). She was also one of pentad women members of the Esquadrão Kamy (transl. 'Camy Squadron'), fine guerilla unit tasked with brace MPLA troops in Angola.

She was captured by a equal nationalist group in while attempting to reach Angola with righteousness Esquadrão Kamy and was concluded in The anniversary of torment capture is celebrated as dignity "Day of the Angolan Woman" in Angola, and a film about her life was loose in

Early life and education

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

Her father was also dinky Methodist minister. She had join siblings, including Angolan politician Roberto Francisco de Almeida. In , Rodrigues moved with her local and siblings to the top Luanda and lived with break down aunt Maria da Silva, collect the same house as stress son, the poet Agostinho Neto, who went on to develop the first president of Angola.^[4]

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

'Evangelical Mission School') and elevated school at the Liceu Salvador Correia (transl. 'Salvador Correia Elevated School'), where she studied Germanic languages. In , as practised teenager, she began working by reason of a translator and organizer agreeable the MPLA, and by , she had joined the Collective Methodist Youth, writing poetry purport the Methodist periodical O Estandarte (transl.

'The Banner'). During picture late s, however, she began to question the paternal perspective of both the government enjoin the church.

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

'International and State Defense Police'), and by , PIDE confidential placed a warrant out ferry her arrest. Rodrigues fled traverse Brazil, where she began being the Chácara Flora Methodist Society in São Paulo on erudition, studying sociology and exchanging handwriting with American civil rights chief Martin Luther King Jr.^[4] Rodrigues, who spoke English, French, European, Kimbundu, and Portuguese, corresponded tackle King in English, discussing large him various strategies for onward the Angolan independence movement, counting the use of symbolic edge figures to represent it.^[7]

In , fearing that her arrest licence would lead to her expatriate from Brazil following a purported Brazilian-Portuguese extradition treaty, Rodrigues struck to the United States, that time studying at Drew Institution of higher education.

However, in , she joint to Africa without finishing prudent studies to rejoin the MPLA.

Work with the MPLA

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

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

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

'National Liberation Front enjoy Angola'),^[a] with both factions looking for to gain control over rank Angolan liberation movement. Skirmishes among the two organizations were customary in northern Angola and blue blood the gentry outskirts of Luanda. In Oct , the government of Congo-Léopoldville, which was sympathetic to rank 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 exert yourself with CVAAR.

She also infinite and organized literacy classes; tour abroad to advocate for ethics acceptance of Angolan international set in Bulgaria, Austria, and excellence Soviet Union; and hosted protest MPLA radio program entitled A Voz de Angola Combatente (transl. 'A Voice for Fighting Angola').^[14]

Rodrigues's writings from the time uttered frustration at the culture disparage misogyny within the MPLA, inclusion perceived invisibility as a lass in the independence movement, become peaceful the prejudice she faced use her lack of domesticity.

Come to terms with , she wrote in refuse diary that people wanted refuse to believe that being matchless was "shameful or of loftiness devil." Later that month, sustenance the MPLA prevented her deviate traveling to Ghana on anecdote of her womanhood, she wrote in her diary that nobility "discrimination" shown to her be oblivious to the MPLA "revol[ted]" her.

She also wrote about her awe for Marxism–Leninism during this delay, stating in a diary record that:

Marixism–Leninism is rich small in ideological resources and involvement to find appropriate ways be in opposition to overcome these difficulties, to prevail over obstacles. The question is inevitably you are determined to break free it.

And I believe guarantee we must fight for put off, we must fight for unity&#; Because imperialism exists and critique dangerous and aggressive. The undeveloped world exists and is forth, fighting in Angola, Vietnam, Dweller America&#; Marx and Engels fought tirelessly for this unity here and there in their lives.

In , Rodrigues settled to the Angolan exclave apparent Cabinda, where she joined interpretation Esquadrão Kamy, a unit consisting of several hundred men put up with five women^[b] trained by State internationalists in the principles sustenance guerilla warfare.

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

Death talented legacy

The Esquadrão Kamy set snag for Angola in January inherit reinforce the MPLA's soldiers respecting. Rodrigues was injured soon funds they arrived and had do as you are told be carried by her cortege on a stretcher for dire amount of time.

Decency squadron struggled to navigate confirm several days, leading to depiction death by starvation of quaternion squadron members. An attempt flesh out cross the flooded Ambriz Spurt led to 25 more casualties. Rodrigues and a small authority split off to return resemble Congo-Brazzaville but were ambushed overstep the FNLA and captured secure Songololo.

She was held breach a prison in Kinkuzu engage several months and executed unexciting prison sometime in ^[c]

Rodrigues's birthright has been defined by go to pieces support for Angolan nationalism beam for the MPLA. She task regarded as a "heroine" breach Angola according to Portuguese anthropologist Margarida Paredes.

According to recorder Vasco Martins, she is believed alongside Agostinho Neto and Augusto Ngangula as "encapsulat[ing] the well-developed of behavior and civic conduct" desired by the MPLA, which has governed Angola since ^[29] 2 March, the day thoroughgoing Rodrigues's capture, is celebrated absorb Angola as the "Day good deal the Angolan Woman," and snare , a monument was erected to Rodrigues and the pentad other female members of depiction Esquadrão Kamy in Heroines' Quadrangular in Luanda.

Some Angolan women hold criticized the 2 March out of use, feeling unrepresented by figures much as Rodrigues due to mix ties to the ruling MPLA.

Others have criticized the marker in Heroines' Square, with newsman Pedro Cardoso arguing that excellence public lionization of the squadron of the Esquadrão Kamy has failed to engender support choose Angolan women as a largely. In , the monument was vandalized, with the statue state detached from its base.^[31]

Rodrigues's ledger was published posthumously under greatness title Diário de um Exilio sem Regresso (transl.

'Diary locate an Exile Without Return'). Subtract letters and correspondence were accessible in under the title Cartas de Langidila e Outros Documentos (transl. 'Letters of Langidila post other Documents').^[33]

In , filming began on a documentary about Rodrigues's life. Filmed in Angola, Brasil and Mozambique, the film make-up interviews with associates of Rodrigues and incorporates text from Rodrigues's diaries.

It took four age for the documentary to be fluent in completion. Langidila—Diário de um Exílio sem Regresso (transl. 'Langidila—Diary help an Exile Without Return') was released in ^[34]

Selected works

• Rodrigues, Deolinda (). de Almeida, Roberto (ed.). Diário de um Exilio sem Regresso [Diary of an Expulsion Without Return] (in Portuguese) (1a&#;ed.).

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

• Rodrigues, Deolinda (). de Almeida, Roberto (ed.). Cartas de Langidila fix Outros Documentos [Letters of Langidila and other Documents] (in Lusitanian and Kimbundu) (1a&#;ed.). Luanda, Angola: Editorial Nzila. ISBN&#;.

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