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Movimento Popular da Libertacao de Angola (MPLA)

Republica Popular de Angola

by stuart notholt - 1996-01-10

See also: Angola for other Angolan movements

The MPLA was founded in 1956.
A Marxist party, it had a strong following in the Angolan capital, Luanda. This was the be crucial in the MPLA's seizure of power in 1975.
The MPLA was at first led by Antonio Neto and, after his death, by Eduardo dos Santos, who is still the President of Angola.
The MPLA commenced military operations against the Portuguese in 1963.
The MPLA's flag is divided horizontally, red over black, with a yellow star in the centre. It is said that this flag was adapted from that of the Viet Cong in Vietnam, whose flag was red over blue with the same yellow star. The change of colour from blue to black in the MPLA flag is a fairly obvious adaption to African symbolism.
In the mid 1980s, the new regime in Burkina Faso adopted a very similar flag, for similar reasons, in which the blue/black of the VC/MPLA flags became green.
The MPLA flag strongly influenced that of the People's Republic of Angola.
The MPLA remains the ruling party in Angola, having officially renounced both single party rule and Marxism in the early 1990s.
stuart notholt - 1996-01-10