“Many races, one nation,” was one of the principles that the Portuguese implemented with its colonial grasp over Angola. While those words sound nice in theory, it masked a horrifying reality.
Theory is one of the primary ways the Portuguese kept colonial rule over Angola. Their biggest weapon, Luso-tropicalism, was supposed to eliminate discrimination, but there was something very wrong about this theory.
Luso-tropicalism was invented in the 1950s by a cultural historian who suggested the Portuguese were more empathetic than other European colonizers, and championed miscegenation as a way to make Angloa and other countries more diverse, yet still Portuguese. However, this junk science couldn’t have made Angola more at odds.
Luso-tropicalism forced unwanted interracial relationships on Black women, while also restricting Black people from roles of authority and politics. Angola gained its independence in 1975, but these fraudulent social concepts that are supposed to help Black people still live on today.
We still face opposing forces that create ideologies to advance narratives that fit their quest for power and that erases our history. It’s important we continue to honor and discover our history and challenge theories and practices that deceive and harm our people.