Angola's Woes - Part I

One of the bloodiest civil wars in the history of mankind is being fought in Angola since 1961. To get a better understanding of the conflict we need to understand the pattern of turmoil, victimization, and disappointment that had plagued the country for the past five hundred years. Ethnic and historical tensions that stretch back centuries are also a reason for the bloodshed.

Pre-Colonial Period

Before the arrival of the Portuguese in Angola many developed societies arrived in the region. The first to arrive were the Bushmen, who were small in stature and were great hunters. By the beginning of the 6th century AD a technologically advanced people known as the Bantu came from the north. They were master craftsmen who quickly dominated the other tribes on their arrival due to their superior knowledge of metalworking, ceramics and agriculture.

Angola's first political entity came into being during the 13th century and was known as the Kingdom of Congo. It stretched from Gabon in the North to the river Kwanza in the South, and from the Atlantic in the West to the river Cuango in the East. Agriculture was the main source of their wealth. The Capital City was Mbanza Congo and it had a population of 50,000.

In 1482, the Portuguese arrived in Congo under the command of Diogo Cao. During this period two distinct kingdoms ruled the region. The Kingdom of the Bakongo in the North and the Quimbundos Kingdom, also known as Ndongo, in the western and central areas. Angola takes its name from the King of Ndongo, Ngola Kiluange. The Portuguese established friendly relations with the Bakongo rulers. Catholic missionaries arrived in the Kingdom and the Bakongo king converted to Christianity. The king offered slaves, ivory and minerals and the Portuguese in turn offered firearms. Congo adopted a political structure similar to the Europeans.

But soon tensions began to rise between the Portuguese and both the Bakongo and Ndongo kingdoms because of the slave trade. The Portuguese needed slaves to work in the sugar plantations of Brazil and they bought them from the African Chiefs. The Bakongo King asked the Portuguese to stop the slave trade. They refused it and soon conflict arose between the different powers.

The king of Ndongo, Ngola Kiluange managed to keep the Portuguese at bay due to various alliances with his neighbors. He was beheaded in Luanda. After several years, Queen Jinga Mbandi took over the reins of the kingdom. She forced the Portuguese to retreat after forming a grand coalition against them.

During this time major changes were happening in Europe. Portugal was occupied by Spain and they did not focus much on the overseas territories. Sensing this, the Dutch occupied Luanda in 1641. Jinga formed an alliance with the Dutch and confined the Portuguese to Massangano. Since slaves were important for developing Brazil, the Portuguese waged the Kuata Kuata wars to capture them. In 1648 commander Salvador Correia de Sa re-took Luanda and the Portuguese returned in large numbers.

Jinga's coalition fell apart and she died in 1663. In 1665 the King of Congo made an attempt to capture Luanda but was defeated and lost his kingdom in the Battle of Ambuila. In 1671, the kingdom of Ndongo also submitted to Portuguese rule. The Portuguese used the area as a "slave pool" and not much was done to improve the condition of the masses. Since Portugal herself was underdeveloped both in terms of economic and industrial stability she did not take much interest in developing the colony. Only during the beginning of the 20th century did the Portuguese take over complete administrative control in Angola.

To be continued...