Maria de Jesus Haller (1923 – 18 October 2006), was Angola's first female

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

. She participated in Angola's struggle for independence from its colonial power, Portugal, and she was a teacher, a journalist and a writer.

Biography

She was born in Angola as Maria de Jesus Nunes Da Silva in 1923, the daughter of a 12-year-old plantation worker who had been raped by the plantation owner. When Maria was three, her father sent her to be raised in his native Portugal. At 15, she briefly reunited with her mother and became inspired to pursue activism and politics. Around 1955 she married Swiss businessman Jean Rodolphe de Haller. While living in Léopoldville in colonial Belgian Congo, she met fellow Angolans living in exile who opposed Portugal's oppression of the Black population of Angola. After returning to Europe, Haller stayed in contact with the group and, around 1965, was asked to represent the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola) in Cairo, Egypt. She faced sexism in this role, with Egyptian officials denying her access to radio stations until she and Agostinho Neto threatened to leave Egypt. After 13 years of war, Angola gained its independence on 11 November 1975, with Agostinho Neto as its first president. In 1978, Haller became Angola's first female ambassador and was sent to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

to represent her country in the Kingdom of Sweden. She later became director of the Asia and Oceania Department in Angola's Ministry of External Relations. She was a member of the Union of Angolan Writers (UEA) and in 1988 contributed a children's story to the union's ''Acácia Rubra'' anthology. Haller died on 18 October 2006 in Geneva,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, after a prolonged illness. Her funeral was held in Angola.

Works

* (anthology of children's stories)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haller, Maria de Jesus 1923 births 2006 deaths Ambassadors of Angola to Sweden Angolan children's writers Angolan expatriates in Egypt Angolan expatriates in Portugal Expatriates in the Belgian Congo Angolan independence activists Angolan women activists Angolan women ambassadors Angolan women children's writers Angolan women writers Angolan writers MPLA politicians