Agostinho Neto
Encyclopedia
António Agostinho Neto served as the first President of Angola
(1975–1979), leading the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
(MPLA) in the war for independence
and the civil war
. His birthday is celebrated as National Heroes Day
, a public holiday in Angola.
, Angola, in 1922, Neto attended high school in the capital city, Luanda
; his father, also called Agostinho Neto, was a Methodist pastor. The younger Neto left Angola for Portugal
, and studied medicine at the universities of Coimbra and Lisbon. He combined his academic life with covert political activity of a revolutionary sort; and PIDE
, the security police force of the Estado Novo regime headed by Portuguese Prime Minister Salazar
, arrested him in 1951 for his separatist activism. Seven years later he was released from prison, and he finished his studies, marrying a white 23-years-old Portuguese woman who was born in Trás-os-Montes, Maria Eugénia da Silva, the same day he graduated. He returned to Angola in 1959.
(PCA) merged with the Party of the United Struggle for Africans in Angola
(PLUA) to form the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola with Viriato da Cruz
, the President of the PCA, as Secretary General and Neto as President.
The Portuguese authorities in Angola arrested Neto on June 8, 1960. His patients and supporters marched for his release from Bengo to Catete, but were stopped when Portuguese soldiers shot at them, killing 30 and wounding 200 in what became known as the Massacre of Icolo e Bengo. At first Portugal's government exiled Neto to Cape Verde
. Then, once more, he was sent to jail in Lisbon. After international protests were made to Salazar's administration urging Neto's release, Neto was freed from prison and put under house arrest
. From this he escaped, going first to Morocco
and then to Zaire
.
In 1962 Neto visited Washington D.C. and asked the Kennedy administration
for aid in his war against Portugal. The U.S. government turned him down, choosing instead to support Holden Roberto
's comparatively anti-Communist FNLA.
Neto met Che Guevara
in 1965 and began receiving support from Cuba
. He visited Havana many times, and he and Fidel Castro
shared similar ideological views.
Following the Carnation Revolution
in Portugal during April 1974 (which deposed Salazar's successor Marcelo Caetano
), three political factions vied for Angolan power. One of the three was the MPLA, to which Neto belonged. On November 11, 1975, Angola achieved full independence from the Portuguese, and Neto became the nation's ruler. His government developed close links with the Soviet Union
and other nations in the Eastern bloc
and other Communist state
s, particularly Cuba, which aided the MPLA considerably in its war with the FNLA, UNITA
and South Africa. However, while Neto made the MPLA declare Marxism-Leninism
its official doctrine, his position was to favour a socialist, not a communist model. As a consequence, he violently repressed a movement later called Fractionism which in 1977 attempted a coup d' état inspired by OCA (Organização dos Comunistas de Angola). An estimated 18,000 followers (or alleged followers) of Nito Alves
were killed in the aftermath of the attempted coup, over a period that lasted up to two years.
Neto died in a hospital in Moscow
, while undergoing surgery for cancer, shortly before his 57th birthday. Jose Eduardo dos Santos
succeeded him as president. But the Angolan civil war continued to rage for almost a quarter of a century more.
awarded Neto the Lenin Peace Prize
for 1975-76.
The public university of Luanda, the Agostinho Neto University, is named after him. A poem by Chinua Achebe
entitled Agostinho Neto was written in his honor. An airport
in Santo Antão, Cape Verde, is named after him, due to the beloved work he performed there as a doctor. There is also a morna dedicated to him. A street in New Belgrade in Serbia
is named after him, the Dr. Agostina Neta street.
In 1973, during one of his few unofficial visits to Bulgaria, Neto met a woman with whom he had a daughter called Mihaela Marinova. Unfortunately Neto's sudden death did no favor for his daughter who had been raised in orphanages in Bulgaria. Neto's family has not recognised the child.
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
(1975–1979), leading the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Labour Party is a political party that has ruled Angola since the country's independence from Portugal in 1975...
(MPLA) in the war for independence
Angolan War of Independence
The Angolan War of Independence began as an uprising against forced cotton cultivation, and became a multi-faction struggle for control of Portugal's Overseas Province of Angola with three nationalist movements and a separatist movement...
and the civil war
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
. His birthday is celebrated as National Heroes Day
Heroes' Day
Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries. It is often held on the birthday of a national hero or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that made them heroes....
, a public holiday in Angola.
Early life
Born at Ícolo e Bengo, in Bengo ProvinceBengo (province)
Bengo is a province of Angola. Its capital is Caxito. According to 1988 statistics, there were 18,700 people living in urban areas with 137,400 in rural areas, with a total of 156,100 residents...
, Angola, in 1922, Neto attended high school in the capital city, Luanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
; his father, also called Agostinho Neto, was a Methodist pastor. The younger Neto left Angola for Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and studied medicine at the universities of Coimbra and Lisbon. He combined his academic life with covert political activity of a revolutionary sort; and PIDE
PIDE
In 1969, Marcello Caetano changed the name PIDE to DGS . The death of Salazar and the subsequent ascension of Caetano brought some attempts at democratization, in order to avoid popular insurgency against censorship, the ongoing colonial war and the general restriction of civil rights...
, the security police force of the Estado Novo regime headed by Portuguese Prime Minister Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
, arrested him in 1951 for his separatist activism. Seven years later he was released from prison, and he finished his studies, marrying a white 23-years-old Portuguese woman who was born in Trás-os-Montes, Maria Eugénia da Silva, the same day he graduated. He returned to Angola in 1959.
Political career
In December 1956 the Angolan Communist PartyAngolan Communist Party
Angolan Communist Party was an underground political party in Portuguese Angola , founded in October 1955, under influence from the Portuguese Communist Party. PCA was led by the brothers Mário Pinto de Andrade and Joaquim Pinto de Andrade...
(PCA) merged with the Party of the United Struggle for Africans in Angola
Party of the United Struggle for Africans in Angola
Party of the United Struggle for Africans in Angola is the first political party in Angola to advocate Angolan independence from Portugal, campaigning from its founding in 1953 until it merged with the Angolan Communist Party to form the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in...
(PLUA) to form the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola with Viriato da Cruz
Viriato da Cruz
Viriato Clemente da Cruz, an Angolan poet and politician, was born in 1928 in Kikuvo, Porto Amboim, Portuguese Angola and died in Beijing, People's Republic of China on 13 June 1973....
, the President of the PCA, as Secretary General and Neto as President.
The Portuguese authorities in Angola arrested Neto on June 8, 1960. His patients and supporters marched for his release from Bengo to Catete, but were stopped when Portuguese soldiers shot at them, killing 30 and wounding 200 in what became known as the Massacre of Icolo e Bengo. At first Portugal's government exiled Neto to Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. Then, once more, he was sent to jail in Lisbon. After international protests were made to Salazar's administration urging Neto's release, Neto was freed from prison and put under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
. From this he escaped, going first to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and then to Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
.
In 1962 Neto visited Washington D.C. and asked the Kennedy administration
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
for aid in his war against Portugal. The U.S. government turned him down, choosing instead to support Holden Roberto
Holden Roberto
Holden Álvaro Roberto founded and led the National Liberation Front of Angola from 1962 to 1999. His memoirs are unfinished.-Early life:...
's comparatively anti-Communist FNLA.
Neto met Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
in 1965 and began receiving support from Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He visited Havana many times, and he and Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
shared similar ideological views.
Following the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
in Portugal during April 1974 (which deposed Salazar's successor Marcelo Caetano
Marcelo Caetano
Marcelo José das Neves Alves Caetano, GCTE, GCC, also spelled Marcello Caetano , was a Portuguese politician and scholar, who was the last prime minister of the Estado Novo regime, from 1968 until his overthrow in the Carnation Revolution of 1974....
), three political factions vied for Angolan power. One of the three was the MPLA, to which Neto belonged. On November 11, 1975, Angola achieved full independence from the Portuguese, and Neto became the nation's ruler. His government developed close links with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and other nations in the Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
and other Communist state
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
s, particularly Cuba, which aided the MPLA considerably in its war with the FNLA, UNITA
UNITA
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the Angolan War for Independence and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war .The war was one...
and South Africa. However, while Neto made the MPLA declare Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
its official doctrine, his position was to favour a socialist, not a communist model. As a consequence, he violently repressed a movement later called Fractionism which in 1977 attempted a coup d' état inspired by OCA (Organização dos Comunistas de Angola). An estimated 18,000 followers (or alleged followers) of Nito Alves
Nito Alves
Nito Alves served as the Interior Minister of Angola from independence, November 11, 1975, until President Agostinho Neto abolished the position in October 1976...
were killed in the aftermath of the attempted coup, over a period that lasted up to two years.
Neto died in a hospital in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, while undergoing surgery for cancer, shortly before his 57th birthday. Jose Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos is an Angolan politician who has been the second and current President of Angola since 1979. As President, José Eduardo dos Santos is also the commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces and president of the MPLA , the party that has been ruling Angola since...
succeeded him as president. But the Angolan civil war continued to rage for almost a quarter of a century more.
Legacy
The Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
awarded Neto the Lenin Peace Prize
Lenin Peace Prize
The International Lenin Peace Prize was the Soviet Union's equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize, named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel indicated had "strengthened peace among peoples"...
for 1975-76.
The public university of Luanda, the Agostinho Neto University, is named after him. A poem by Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe
Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...
entitled Agostinho Neto was written in his honor. An airport
Agostinho Neto Airport
The Agostinho Neto is an airport in Cape Verde located next to the town of Ponta do Sol, Cape Verde on the northern tip of the island of Santo Antão. The airport was named after Agostinho Neto, an Angolan politician....
in Santo Antão, Cape Verde, is named after him, due to the beloved work he performed there as a doctor. There is also a morna dedicated to him. A street in New Belgrade in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
is named after him, the Dr. Agostina Neta street.
In 1973, during one of his few unofficial visits to Bulgaria, Neto met a woman with whom he had a daughter called Mihaela Marinova. Unfortunately Neto's sudden death did no favor for his daughter who had been raised in orphanages in Bulgaria. Neto's family has not recognised the child.