Berlin: The Angolan embassies in Germany and the United Kingdom celebrated, on Saturday, the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the Armed Struggle for National Liberation, marked on 4 February, in an act of recognition for the sacrifice of the heroes and for the construction of the Angolan nation. This is the celebration of a date that symbolizes the resistance of Angolan patriots who began the fight against Portuguese colonialism in 1961, culminating in the achievement of National Independence on November 11, 1975.
According to Angola Press News Agency, at the Angolan Embassy in Germany, the day was greeted with a lecture given by Ambassador Maria Resende Encoge, who highlighted the determining role and bravery of the heroes of the 4th of February. It states that the date constitutes a historic milestone in the struggle of the Angolan people, and is also the affirmation of the right to freedom, self-determination, as well as national sovereignty, towards the achievement of National Independence.
'The celebration of the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the Armed Struggle for National Liberation is yet another deserved tribute to the heroes who shed sweat and tears, sacrificing their lives for the just cause of the Angolan people', reads the statement. The ceremony brought together members of the diplomatic corps and the Angolan community residing in Berlin and other locations.
For its part, the celebration of the beginning of the armed struggle, organized by the Angolan Embassy in the United Kingdom, in partnership with the Consulate General in London, was guided by ambassador Jos© Patrcio, who urged young people to face the challenges of knowledge and technological transformations with determination. According to a statement distributed to the press, during a workshop in London, addressed to the diplomatic corps, scholarship students and the Angolan community in the United Kingdom, Jos© Patrcio praised the courage and bravery of the nationalists who took up machetes to confront the colonist, an act that led to the achievement of Angola's Independence.
'Without the 4th of February we would not have, in a relatively short space of 14 years, achieved National Independence on the 11th of November 1975, the result of the armed struggle against Portuguese colonialism', the note reads. For the diplomat, the spirit and example of the 4th of February must be studied and preserved by new generations, to remember the effort and sacrifice of fearless Angolans, who each contributed at a specific moment and time to the construction of the country.
On the occasion, the young Angolan living in London Cl¡udio Joo Paiva, grandson of the hero of the 4th of February Paiva Domingos da Silva, was invited to give a talk about the anniversary. In his speech, he highlighted the steps taken in the preparation and operation of the assault on Luanda's prisons, in line with what he heard from his grandfather. He said that the events were planned rigorously, noting that 'the nationalists knew where to attack, how to attack and what each target that was marked with a black stick symbolized'.
The day ended lively with music from Banda Massemband, a group made up of members of the Angolan community living in the United Kingdom.
