Africa-Press – Angola. Historians defended, this Tuesday, in Huambo, a greater promotion and dissemination of the history of Baixa de Cassanje, to honor the memory of the peasants killed by the Portuguese colonial army, on January 4, 1961.
On the 4th of January, the country celebrates the Day of the Martyrs of Baixa de Cassanje, a date of national celebration, which remembers the death, with aerial bombardments by the Portuguese colonial army, of thousands of peasants in the cotton fields of the extinct Cotonang Company.
Speaking to press, the historian Américo Tomás said that this was a remarkable fact for the history of Angola, for having provoked a great revolt among the Angolans, which opened the doors for the beginning of the Armed Struggle and National Liberation, on 4 of February of the same year.
Thus, he said he hoped for greater promotion and dissemination of the events of January 4, 1961, mainly with the holding of conferences and debates among young people, to awaken interest in the historical facts that marked certain moments in the country.
He said that, despite Baixa de Cassanje being studied in schools, it is still unknown by most of society, which contributes, negatively, to the history of Angola.
Historian Filipe Olímpio also recalled that on January 4, 1961, the Portuguese colonialist ordered the bombardment, with strong war material, of the peasants of Baixa de Cassanje, for only demanding the abolition of forced labor and fair remuneration for the purchase of cotton.
According to the historian, the people felt exploited by the colonialist, due to the fact that they gave priority to the higher yielding crop abroad, that is, cotton, to the detriment of the production of cassava, which was the daily food of the population.
Filipe Olímpio said that the fact created a great revolt and the Portuguese Government decided, at the time, to kill hundreds of people, which turned the event into one of the biggest massacres in the history of Angola.
He considered that these facts should be more publicized, either by academics or by government authorities, to honor the memory of all the martyrs.
For his part, historian José Gime stated that the event evokes what can be considered as the beginning of Angolan nationalism, since, in addition to shaking society at the time, it made the subsequent steps towards National Independence, proclaimed on 11 November 1975.
He said that, 62 years after the events in Baixa de Cassanje, Angolans of the current generation need to reflect on the hundreds of lives lost, in order to achieve independence, peace, harmony and social stability.
On January 4, 1961, Portuguese settlers repressed around 20,000 Angolan peasants, in what went down in history as the Baixa de Cassanje Massacre, a territory located between the provinces of Malanje and Lunda Norte.
The events raised the awareness of freedom among Angolan patriots who, on February 4 of the same year, decided to launch an armed struggle against the Portuguese fascist regime, culminating in the proclamation of the country’s independence, on November 11, 1975.
The event is marked in the country as a date of national celebration, considered the Day of the Martyrs of the Colonial Repression.
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