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Queen Nzinga

Queen Anna Nzinga (Anna was her Christian name when she converted to Christianity.), was a strong ruler and Queen to her people of Afrika. Born in 1581, she passed away in 1663. But what she has done in the past will never be forgotten. She was the queen of Ndongo now known as Angola, queen of Matamba. Her brother, Mbandi, had become a King and whom she the Queen succeeded. Her father was Ngola Kiluanji Kia Samba.

She had converted to Christianity, taking the name Dona Anna de Souza from a Catholic church after the Portuguese governor. Her story which I am going to narrate started on when she fought in opposition to the slave trade and the European influence that took place in the early seventeenth century. Queen Anna Nzinga was acknowledged and thoroughly distinguished as a sharp diplomat and seer thinking military leader. She was indeed a good one. She hadn't given up for 30 years when the slave raid initiated with the Portuguese. And I doubt it she ever did. Succeeding her brother by poisoning him she joined in with the Dutch to fight against the Portuguese in attempt to free her land and its people from the Portuguese power. She sought for freedom to Angola until the day she passed away at the age of 82. Nevertheless, after her death, weak leaders fled from the country leaving a wide path open for the Portuguese to recapture their authority.

So here begins...

Queen Anna Nzinga was born in 1581, to Ngola Kiluanja Kia Samba. It was the same year that her father led the Ndongo nation: an Mbundu-speaking people in southeastern Afrika; to fight against the Portuguese who were prowling their land for the gain of slaves. The king has already accepted slave trading with the Portuguese. Nonetheless, with limit values. The Portuguese decided that it wasn't enough and were greedy for more, believing they could conquer over the Angolan territory. The English and French in northeast of Afrika had threatened the Portuguese, so then they moved their slave-trading to the south in which by King Ngola Kiluanja Kia Samba was ruling.

It wasn't until 1618, when Queen Nzinga"s brother, Mbandi, assassinated his father Kiluanji conquering the throne for himself. He was a vicious and bad leader to his people following his father"s means. With his twisted sly ways, he called onto Queen Nzinga's son to be murdered so karma wouldn"t commit any foul moves. He didn't want her son to abolish any danger to his control. Conversely his empire separated and he escaped from the capital whilst Queen Nzinga"s sheltered in the country of Matamba with her husband.

In 1622, Mbandi, asked Queen Nzinga to return and confer a treaty with the Portuguese. It was her opportunity then to show them her promising talents. She showered the utmost impression there was there to display. Coming in and seeing that the Portuguese had arranged the meeting with only one chair for the ruler to sit on, Queen Nzinga would have to stand making her look inferior to the Portuguese governor. But then, and once again, Queen Nzinga hadn't surrendered, she gestured to her maid who fell down to her knees forming a chair for Queen Nzinga to sit on. This itself; merely made Queen Nzinga look powerful.

After the royal expression she had mustered in the room on the Portuguese�Queen Nzinga had succeeded in the compromise with the Portuguese governor, Correa de Souza. Afterwards, the Portuguese limited the agreements on the slave trade. Queen Nzinga was entitled as a Christian, not out of religion conversion but more of a political faction. She now had taken the name Done Anna de Souza. Being entitled as this name, she now could attract modern technologies from European countries.

It was in 1623 when Queen Nzinga had her brother assassinated to succeed him. The Portuguese had then given her the name "governer of Luanda" until 1626. Queen Nzinga opened her country to the Christian in order to appeal to the new modern technologies. In 1626; the crisis with the Portuguese picked up again. Queen Nzinga's military proceeded in irritating the Portuguese. In 1630, she gathered her neighboring people, earned their respect and also, friends of whom she knew and made them supporters of her own. Afterward she overpowered and became the leader of Matamba proceeding into fighting against the Portuguese.

Frightened for there own sake, but nobody else's�because on account that in 1639 Queen Nzinga's campaign had accomplished thoroughly that the Portuguese decided to open peace negotiations, nevertheless, they were unsuccessful. In 1641, the Portuguese had realised that, Kongo, the Dutch, including Nzinga had fought increasingly so they pulled back. Nonetheless, the Portuguese suddenly began succeeding by bringing in new troops in 1648. Queen Nzinga using her intelligence opened peace talks with the Portuguese which had lasted for approximately six years. With no other alternatives, she had to accept the Portuguese puppet king, Philip as a leader, and the Portuguese conquered then Ndongo because he was more expected to abide by the European demands. But she was able to preserve her will in Matamba and preserve it"s independence away from the Portuguese.

After she was shooting for the moon, she landed in the stars. Yet never capitulating to the Portuguese, she had ever accomplished what she had struggled for. She fought for the will of her people, and she fought well. Nzinga passed away in 1663, at the old age of 82. Her sister succeeded her to the throne in Matamba, but she didn't last long.

Angola didn't become independent of Portuguese power of control until the year 1974. We shall never forget Queen Nzinga, and what she has been through for us.

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