Holden Roberto

@Angolan Independence Leader, Life Achievements and Personal Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Holden Roberto was an Angolan independence leader who founded the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) Leaders Political Leaders Revolutionaries Capricorn Celebrities Holden Roberto was an Angolan independence leader who founded the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA). One of the fathers of Angola’s independence and a major figure in the Cold War in Africa, he worked relentlessly in his pursuit of Angola’s freedom from the Portuguese colonialism. Angola had been ruled by the Portuguese for centuries and Roberto was one of the first men who struggled for the country’s total independence from the Portuguese. As a young man he was working for the Belgian Finance Ministry when he witnessed Portuguese officials abusing an elderly man. This injustice made him realize that it was high time Angolans fought for their freedom and dignity, and was thus inspired to join politics. Along with a friend he founded the Union of Peoples of Northern Angola (UPNA), later renamed the Union of Peoples of Angola (UPA). He also became involved in underground activities and secretly traveled to Ghana to attend the ground-breaking All African People's Congress. Upon his return to his homeland he became very active in politics and eventually founded the National Front for the Liberation of Angola, a militant right-wing organization which he led in the fight for Angolan independence from Portugal forces. He was one of the pioneers of national liberation struggle in Angola and is hailed as a hero for leading the country’s struggle for independence.

Personal Details

Birthday: January 12, 1923 Died on: August 2, 2007 Nationality: Angolan Famous: Angolan Independence Leader, Leaders, Political Leaders, Revolutionaries Known as: Holden Álvaro Roberto Birth Place: São Salvador, Angola Gender: Male Information Detail Birthday January 12, 1923 Died on August 2, 2007 Nationality Angolan Famous Angolan Independence Leader, Leaders, Political Leaders, Revolutionaries Known as Holden Álvaro Roberto Birth Place São Salvador, Angola Gender Male Father Garcia Diasiwa Roberto Mother Joana Lala Nekaka Sun Sign Capricorn Born in São Salvador, Angola Famous as Angolan Independence Leader Died at Age 84

São Salvador, Angola

Holden Roberto born at Unsplash Birth Place

He was already married when he became acquainted with the Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko. However in order to establish a political alliance with him, he divorced his first wife and married a woman from Mobutu's wife's village. Personal Life

He suffered from heart problems during his later years and died of a cardiac arrest on 2 August 2007 at his home in Luanda. He was 84. Personal Life

He was born on 12 January 1923 to Garcia Diasiwa Roberto and Joana Lala Nekaka in São Salvador, Angola. His family moved to Léopoldville, Belgian Congo in 1925. Childhood & Early Life

He received his education from a Baptist missionary school from where he graduated in 1940. Childhood & Early Life

He found employment at the Belgian Finance Ministry in Léopoldville, Bukavu and worked there till the early 1950s. In 1951 he visited Angola where he witnessed Portuguese officials abusing an old man and became aware of the brutality in colonial rule. Career

This experience inspired him to enter politics and fight for the independence of Angola from Portuguese rule. Along with a friend Barros Necaca he founded the Union of Peoples of Northern Angola (UPNA) in 1956. It was later renamed as the Union of Peoples of Angola (UPA). Career

He served as the UPA president and secretly attended the All-African Peoples Congress of Ghana in December 1958 where he represented Angola. There he became acquainted with Patrice Lumumba, the future Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenneth Kaunda, the future President of Zambia, and Kenyan nationalist Tom Mboya. Career

Roberto acquired a Guinean passport and went to the United Nations on behalf of his movement. In 1961 he appointed Jonas Savimbi as Secretary-General of the UPA. Career

In the 1950s he began receiving aid from the United States National Security Council which was initially $6,000 and later increased to $10,000. Career

Information	Detail
Birthday	January 12, 1923
Died on	August 2, 2007
Nationality	Angolan
Famous	Angolan Independence Leader, Leaders, Political Leaders, Revolutionaries
Known as	Holden Álvaro Roberto
Birth Place	São Salvador, Angola
Gender	Male
Father	Garcia Diasiwa Roberto
Mother	Joana Lala Nekaka
Sun Sign	Capricorn
Born in	São Salvador, Angola
Famous as	Angolan Independence Leader
Died at Age	84

Holden Roberto

Angolan

Jan 12, 1923

Biography

Personal Details

São Salvador, Angola