Viriato da Cruz facts for kids

Viriato Clemente da Cruz (born March 25, 1928 – died June 13, 1973) was an important Angolan poet and politician. He was born in Kikuvo, a place in Porto Amboim, which was then part of Portuguese Angola. He later passed away in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Many people consider him one of the most important Angolan poets of his time. He wrote poems in Portuguese, and some of his works even included phrases from Kimbundu, an Angolan language. Viriato da Cruz was very active in the fight to make Angola free from Portuguese rule.

Viriato da Cruz's Political Journey

Viriato da Cruz received his education in Luanda, which was the capital of Angola when it was controlled by Portugal.

Early Political Activities (1948-1952)

Between 1948 and 1952, Viriato da Cruz joined a group called the Association of the Native Sons of Angola. In 1948, he also helped start the Movement of the New Intellectuals of Angola.

Focus on Angolan Identity

Around 1948 and 1949, Viriato da Cruz had to go to southern Angola because he was sick with tuberculosis. During this time, he wrote poems that showed how talented he was as a poet. He later returned to Luanda and became a key person in a literary magazine called Mensagem. This magazine helped develop the idea of an independent Angolan nation. By the early 1950s, he stopped writing poetry to focus almost all his time on politics, working to end colonial rule.

Founding the MPLA

In 1956, while in Luanda, Viriato da Cruz wrote a very important document. This document became the founding statement for a new political group called the MPLA (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola).

On September 30, 1957, Da Cruz traveled to Lisbon, Portugal. He hoped to get advice and support from the Portuguese Communist Party. However, they did not help him. Da Cruz then went to Paris and Frankfurt. There, Mário Pinto de Andrade and Lúcio Lara helped him improve his founding document. In 1960, at a meeting in Tunis, Viriato da Cruz was the first person to publicly say the name of the new organization, the MPLA.

Leadership and Disagreements

At first, the MPLA was not based in Angola. It was in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, and later in Leopoldville, Congo (now Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC). Viriato da Cruz became the secretary-general of the MPLA.

Over time, he and others started to disagree with the party's leaders, especially with the president, Agostinho Neto. A main reason for their disagreement was about race. Even though Viriato da Cruz was of mixed race (a mestiço), he believed that only Black Africans should hold leadership positions in the MPLA. Starting in 1962, Neto began to bring highly educated mixed-race people into the MPLA's main committee. In the mid-1960s, Neto also allowed white Angolans who were against colonial rule to join the MPLA. He supported the idea of having many different races working together in the movement.

Life in Exile in China

In the 1960s, Viriato da Cruz moved to Algeria. There, he tried to lead his own part of the MPLA, which was known as the MPLA-Viriato. Eventually, he went to Beijing, China.

At first, the Chinese government welcomed him. They thought he could help them bring a Maoist-inspired revolution to Africa. However, he soon lost their support. This happened because he supported Liu Shaoqi, a leader who Mao Zedong had criticized. Cruz wanted to leave China and go back to Africa, but the Chinese government would not let him.

Viriato da Cruz's Final Years

The last years of Viriato da Cruz's life were sad and difficult. He died on June 13, 1973. The MPLA has never officially recognized his important role as the person who wrote their founding document.

Viriato da Cruz's Poetry

In his poems, like "Mamãe negra (Canto de esperança)" (Black Mother (Song of Hope)), Viriato da Cruz explored ideas about Black African identity. He often used the symbol of "Mother Africa" in his work.

See also

In Spanish: Viriato da Cruz para niños