Exploring The True Meaning Of "Brotu" In Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country in southwestern Africa. It is the second-largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in both total area and population and is the seventh-largest country in Africa. Angola has a rich history and culture, heavily influenced by its time as a Portuguese colony and the indigenous ethnic groups that call the region home. Angola's economy is centred around its abundant natural resources, including diamonds, oil, gold, copper and wildlife. In recent years, Angola has emerged as a relatively stable constitutional republic, with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975

The conflict began as an uprising against the Portuguese imposition of forced cultivation of cotton as a commodity crop. As resistance spread, multiple factions developed that struggled for control of Portugal's overseas province of Angola. There were three nationalist movements and also a separatist movement. The war ended when a peaceful coup in Lisbon in April 1974 overthrew Portugal's Estado Novo dictatorship. The new regime immediately stopped all military action in the African colonies, declaring its intention to grant them independence without delay.

The Alvor Agreement, signed in January 1975, granted Angola independence on November 11, 1975, and established a transitional government. However, ideological clashes led to armed conflict between the movements, with the Eastern Bloc-backed MPLA eventually taking power when the Portuguese abandoned the capital city of Luanda in 1975.

The MPLA, in control of Luanda, declared itself the government of independent Angola and was recognised by many African countries. UNITA and the FNLA set up a rival government in Huambo and called on South African forces to eject the MPLA from Luanda. Cuba sent troops to defend the MPLA, pushing out the South Africans and gaining control of all the provincial capitals.

The MPLA remained in power, and Angola remained aligned with the Soviet Union and Cuba for the duration of the Cold War. The country descended into a devastating civil war between the MPLA, UNITA, and the FNLA, which lasted until 2002.

The Republic of Angola's location in southwestern Africa

The Republic of Angola is a country located in southwestern Africa. It is the seventh-largest country in Africa and the twenty-second largest in the world, roughly square in shape, with a maximum width of about 800 miles (1,300 km). Angola is bordered by Namibia to the south, Zambia to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north and northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country has a diverse landscape, ranging from the semidesert Atlantic littoral bordering Namibia's "Skeleton Coast" to the densely populated towns and cities of the northern coast.

Angola's capital and most populous city is Luanda, a large port city on the northern coast. With a population of over 37 million, Angola is the second-largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in both total area and population. The country gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and has since been officially known as the Republic of Angola.

Angola's history is deeply rooted in the Kingdom of Kongo, which flourished from the 14th century and became extremely wealthy and powerful through its involvement in the Atlantic slave trade with the Portuguese Empire. The banning of the slave trade in the 19th century severely disrupted the Kingdom's economy, and European settlers gradually established themselves in the region. Angola gained its present borders in the early 20th century after strong resistance from native groups.

Angola is rich in natural resources, including minerals and petroleum. It has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, largely driven by the oil sector. However, economic growth is uneven, and most of the nation's wealth is concentrated in a small portion of the population. Angola is a member of the African Union, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, and the Southern African Development Community.

Angola's history as a Portuguese colony

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in both total area and population and is the seventh-largest country in Africa.

The formation of Angola as a nation-state originates from the Kingdom of Kongo, a hegemonic state of a number of other Kikongo-speaking kingdoms that flourished in and after the 14th century. The Portuguese first landed in what is today northern Angola in 1482, encountering the Kingdom of the Congo stretching from modern-day Gabon in the north to the Kwanza River in the south. The Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão reached the area in 1484. The Portuguese established their primary early trading post at Soyo, which is now the northernmost city in Angola apart from the Cabinda exclave.

The Portuguese colony of Angola was founded in 1575 with the arrival of Paulo Dias de Novais with a hundred families of colonists and four hundred soldiers. Luanda was granted the status of city in 1605. The fortified Portuguese towns of Luanda (established in 1575 with 400 Portuguese settlers) and Benguela. Angola, a Portuguese colony, was in fact more like a colony of Brazil, another Portuguese colony. A strong Brazilian influence was also exercised by the Jesuits in religion and education.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Portugal ruled along the coast and engaged in military conflicts with the Kingdom of Kongo, but in the 18th century, Portugal gradually managed to colonize the interior highlands. Other polities in the region included the Kingdom of Ndongo, the Kingdom of Lunda, and the Mbunda Kingdom. Full control of the entire territory was not achieved until the beginning of the 20th century, when agreements with other European powers during the Scramble for Africa fixed the colony's interior borders.

The history of the Portuguese presence on the territory of contemporary Angola lasted from the arrival of the explorer Diogo Cão in 1484 until the decolonization of the territory in November 1975. Over these five centuries, several different situations existed.

Portugal granted Angola independence on November 11, 1975, at a time when multiple Angolan nationalist forces were fighting among themselves to establish control over the newly liberated state.

The country's diverse ethnic communities

Angola is a multicultural and multiethnic country with over 100 distinct ethnic groups and languages/dialects. The country's diverse ethnic communities, each with their own cultural traits, traditions, and native languages or dialects, include the Ovimbundu, Ambundu, Bakongo, Chokwe, Avambo, and other peoples.

The three main ethnolinguistic groups in Angola are the Ovimbundu, Ambundu, and Bakongo, who speak Umbundu, Kimbundu, and Kikongo, respectively. The Ovimbundu are the largest ethnolinguistic category and were located in west-central Angola, south of the regions inhabited by the Ambundu. They constituted an estimated 37% of the population in 1988 and played an important role in the slave, ivory, and beeswax trades before turning to cash-crop agriculture in the early 20th century.

The Ambundu, the second-largest ethnolinguistic group, made up an estimated 25% of the population in 1988. They are concentrated around Angola's capital, Luanda, and the north-central provinces. While some Ambundu still speak Kimbundu, many among this minority speak Portuguese as a first language.

The Bakongo, a matriarchal tribe, are the third-largest ethnolinguistic group and made up an estimated 15% of the population in 1988. They are concentrated in the Uíge, Zaire, and Cabinda provinces, where they constitute a majority of the population, and also live across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Bakongo are known for being organizers of businesses, syncretic churches, or political movements.

Other numerically important ethnic groups in Angola include the closely interrelated Chokwe and Lunda, the Ganguela and Nyaneka-Khumbi, the Ovambo, the Herero, the Xindonga, and scattered residual groups of San. Angola also has a population of mixed-race (European and African) people amounting to about 7%, with nearly 1% of the population being white, mainly ethnically Portuguese.

The country's ethnic composition has been influenced by its history as a Portuguese colony and the migration of Bantu-speaking peoples. Angola's culture today is mostly native Bantu, mixed with Portuguese influences, and each ethnic group has its own unique artistic traits.

Angola's economy and natural resources

Angola's economy has been heavily influenced by the effects of conflict in the last part of the 20th century, namely the war for independence from Portugal (1961-1975) and the subsequent civil war (1975-2002). Angola's economy is dominated by the production of raw materials and the use of cheap labour.

Natural Resources

Angola has vast mineral and petroleum reserves. Its natural resources include:

• Petroleum
• Diamonds
• Iron ore
• Phosphates
• Copper
• Feldspar
• Gold
• Bauxite
• Uranium

Economy

Angola's economy is among the fastest-growing in the world, especially since the end of the civil war. However, economic growth is highly uneven, with most of the nation's wealth concentrated in a disproportionately small part of the population. Angola's economy is heavily influenced by the petroleum sector, which accounted for over 90% of exports by value and 64% of government revenue in 2017.

Angola's other exports include diamonds, with a small quantity being exported. Imports come from several countries, with Portugal, China, and France among the top sources. Angola generally has a positive balance of trade.

Angola's economy has been dominated by the production of raw materials and the use of cheap labour since European rule began in the 16th century. The principal exports of the post-slave economy in the 19th century were rubber, beeswax, and ivory. In the 20th century, Angola's economy was transformed, boasting a successful commercial agricultural sector, a promising mineral and petroleum production enterprise, and an incipient manufacturing industry.

However, these developments were reversed after the war for independence, and the subsequent internal fighting between liberation movements. The economy was in complete disarray, with agricultural plantations abandoned, factories closed, and skilled workers having left the country.

Since the end of the civil war in 2002, government policy has prioritised the repair and improvement of infrastructure and strengthening of political and social institutions. Angola has upgraded critical infrastructure, with funds from the development of oil resources.

Despite its abundant natural resources, output per capita in Angola is among the world's lowest. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for 85% of the population.

Angola's financial system is maintained by the National Bank of Angola, which issues Angola's currency, the kwanza.

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