Mário Coelho Pinto de Andrade (21 August 1928 – 26 August 1990) was an

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

n poet and politician.

Biography

He was born in Golungo Alto, in

Portuguese Angola In southwestern Africa, Portuguese Angola was a historical Evolution of the Portuguese Empire, colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575–1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo Portugal (1951–1 ...

, and studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at the

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

and

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

at the Sorbonne in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. While there, he became active in opposing Portuguese colonial rule of Angola, and wrote anti-colonial poetry. In 1955, he took part in the founding of the

Angolan Communist Party Angolan Communist Party (in Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Partido Comunista Angolano'') was an underground political party in Portuguese Angola (during the Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo regime), founded in October 1955, under influence ...

. In 1956, he was the founder of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and was elected its first President in 1960. His brother, Joaquim Pinto de Andrade, was made the MPLA's first honorary President. He married the French filmmaker Sarah Maldoror and worked with her on '' Sambizanga'', a 1972 film about the Angolan liberation movement. (Sarah and Mário would go on to have two daughters, Henda Ducados Pinto de Andrade and Annouchka de Andrade.) He clashed with his successor,

Agostinho Neto António Agostinho Neto (17 September 1922 – 10 September 1979) was an Angolan Communism, communist politician and poet. He served as the first president of Angola from 1975 to 1979, having led the MPLA, Popular Movement for the Liberation of ...

, and in 1974 founded within the MPLA a group called ''Revolta Activa'' (Active Revolt). Angola became independent on November 11, 1975, but Andrade continued to live in exile in

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

. He died in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1990. His publications included the anthologies ''Letteratura Negra'' (1961) and ''La Poésie Africaine d'Espression Portugaise'' (1969).Keith A. P. Sandiford, ''A Black Studies Primer: Heroes and Heroines of the African Diaspora'', Hansib Publications, 2008, p. 42.

References

External links

Obituary in the New York Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto de Andrade, Mario 1928 births 1990 deaths People from Cuanza Norte Province Angolan Communist Party politicians MPLA politicians 20th-century Angolan poets University of Lisbon alumni University of Paris alumni Angolan expatriates in France Angolan independence activists Angolan expatriates Expatriates in Mozambique Angolan communists