Jens Olson-Kikuchi 4/10/2010

Section ALL Speech to Inform

Specific Purpose: I wish to inform my audience about the history of Angola

and how it shaped present-day Angola.

Thesis Sentence: Angola is still trying to rebuild its country following a 27-
year civil war that is rich in resources, especially
petroleum, compared to its African counterparts.

Time Limit: Seven Minutes

Title: Angola: Road to Redemption

Introduction

I. Angola, officially called the Republic of Angola, is a country in south central

Africa, surrounded by Namibia on the South, the Democratic Republic of
Congo in the North, and Zambia on the East. To it’s west is the Atlantic
Ocean. It is about twice the size of Texas, or roughly 5 times the United
Kingdom. It is home to nearly 13 million people, while nearly ¾ of the people
are Christian, while the rest remain adhere to their traditional beliefs or other
religions.
II. So, that’s Angola today. But before Angola was an independent nation, war
and turmoil scarred its past.

Body

I. Before Colonialism (Beginning of Recorded History)

THE BANTU PEOPLE

I. The first people to settle were the Bushmen, or hunters

- This changed at the beginning of the of the sixth century
-The Bantu came from the north, and easily invaded the Bushmen (because of their
superior metal-working, ceramics, and agriculture.
- The Bantu then established the largest political entity in the area, which was
labeled the “Kingdom of Kongo”
- This Kingdom was divided into six provinces, where trade was the main
activity. This was mainly due to the high production of agriculture and the rising
of mineral wealth.
- In 1482, Portuguese trading ships came to Kongo. Soon after that, there were
many expeditions between the two, and many close relations were established.
- The Portuguese provided firearms and other modern technology, and the
Kingdom of Kongo sold slaves, ivory, and minerals.
II. Colonization
PORTUGUESE COLONIZATION
- One expedition in 1575, the Portuguese came with Paulo Dias de Novais arrived with a
hundred families of colonists and four hundred soldiers at Luanda.
- He proceeded to establish the Portuguese colony of Angola.
- Soon, the Portuguese influence converted the King of the Kongo to Christianity
and from then on, Angola was known to be a Christian state.
- During the sixteenth century, the Portuguese gradually began to take control of the
western coast, signing treaties and forming colonies
- And though the Dutch were able to take control between 1641-1648, the Portuguese
regained Angola, restoring a Portuguese rule that continued to further expand its land
until the Conquest of Pungo Adongo, which was the last great Portuguese expansion.
- Soon after, the Berlin Conference in 1885 fixed the colony’s borders. From then
until 1950, Portugal invested it's time and resources to Angola’s mining, railways,
and agriculture.
- In 1951, Portugal had colonized in Angola for nearly 500 years, and was officially
called the Overseas Province of Angola.
- Yet, this only made the population of Angola even more hungry for
independence
- The Portugese, however, wouldn't give Angola up and refused to grant independence to
the citizens
-This conflic of interest provoked an armed conflict th at began in 1961 when
black guerrillas attacked both white and black civilians
- This conflict is given the name “Colonial War”, and is made up of the
MLPA, FNLA, and UNITA.
III. Independence
-After many years of conflict, Angola finally gained its independence on the 11th of
November, 1975 after a coup d’état where the Portuguese régime was overthrown.
- Yet contrary to what people may believe, Angola was thrown into another age of
turmoil, one which would last decades.
- Following negotiations held in Portugal, Angola’s three main guerilla groups agreed to
create a transitional government in 1975.
- Within two months of this, however, the FNLA, MPLA, and UNITA were fighting each
other again and the country was threatening to become divided.
- Unlike previous conflicts, world superpowers were drawn in, with the United
States, Portugal, Brazil, and South Africa supporting the FNLA and UNITA,
while the Soviet Union and Cuba supported the MPLA.
- Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but fighting
picked up once again in 1996.
- On February 22, 2002, Jonas Savimbi, the leader of UNITA, died in combat and ended
UNITA’s insurgency and strengthened the MLPA’s hold on power.
-This led to the eventual election of Dos Santos, leader of the MPLA, to become
the President.
- and though he has promised to hold presidential elections since 2009, he has
pushed them back as much as he can.
Conclusion

Despite the absence of a democratic presidential election, the political situation of

the country is beginning to stabilize. However, there are many problems that still need to
be addressed for the country to full recover from its scarred past. Among such problems
is a humanitarian crisis, which is a result of the quarter century of fighting that has
resulted in 1.5 million lives lost and 4 million people displaced. While most of these
displaced persons have now returned home, the situation for most Angolans remains
desperate, and the development facing the government is indeed challenging.

Bibliography

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