Baixa de Cassanje revolt (1961)

Wed Jan 04, 1961

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Image: Transporting Cotonang Equipment through flooded areas of the Baixa 1968 [journals.openedition.org]

On this day in 1961, cotton plantation workers in the Baixa de Cassanje region of Angola protested for better working conditions, an act which escalated into a period of open rebellion and war against Portuguese colonizers.

Employed by Cotonang, a Portuguese-Belgian cotton plantation company, several workers launched a protest on January 4th, demanding improved working conditions. The protest quickly evolved into a general uprising, with workers burning identification cards, attacking Portuguese traders, blocking roads, and destroying company buildings.

In response, the colonial government quickly suppressed the uprising with brutal military force, initiating a bombing campaign of nearby villages that killed anywhere from 400 - 10,000 people.

Despite the short-term failure of the uprising, it served as an important precursor to the Angolan Independence War, which would eventually lead to the end of colonial rule.