A Defeza de Angola

A Defeza de Angola was Angola's first biweekly newspaper, published in Luanda from 21 (?) February 1903 to 11 (?) December 1907. The collection of the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library) of Portugal presented here shows that the desired frequency was not regularly achieved, with publication at this stage being mainly weekly.

It was the first Angolan newspaper to have the defence of the colony's autonomy as its programmatic objective, stating this in its subtitle: ‘Liberating through Peace; Equalising through Justice; Progressing through Autonomy’. 

Its foundation was driven by republican Freemasonry (Grémio Português de Luanda) linked to the colonial bourgeoisie that ran the Luanda Commercial Association, among other commercial and agricultural associations scattered throughout the territory. As its history and content show, its promoters maintained close relations with republican politicians, journalists, and writers in Portugal. They were part of the ‘colonial party’ (partido colonial) that one of Defeza's regular Lisbon contributors, the writer, critic and journalist Fernando Reis (1865-1936), claiming authorship of the name, defined as ‘a large team of Africans and legitimate Africanists directly concerned in the progress and development of Portugal's colonies’ (Reis 1907, on the ‘colonial party’ see Machado 2023). This convergence of interests was also reflected in the advertising that fuelled the newspaper.

On the recommendation of the historic Republican leader Sebastião de Magalhães Lima (Rio de Janeiro, 1850-Lisbon, 1928), its first director was the writer and journalist José de Macedo (Vila Nova de Gaia, 1876-Nazaré, 1948), who travelled to Angola in 1902 for this purpose. Although no copies of the newspaper under his direction are known to exist, studies indicate that Macedo, in addition to defending Angola's autonomy, focused on combating forced labour (servitude), issues that were fuelling heated debates. The newspaper was the subject of several lawsuits, notably against its editor in 1904, José Alves de Almeida, precisely for accusing Governor-General Custódio de Borja of protecting slavery (Guimarães, 1981, v. 2, 353-354). 

Macedo left Angola in 1906 for personal reasons and was replaced by writer and journalist Júlio Lobato (Porto, 1872–Luanda, 1911). Like Macedo, Lobato had extensive journalistic experience, having edited the Porto newspapers A Folha do Norte, A Geração Nova and A arte: órgão do Movimento Intelectivo Internacional. The journalist edited A Defeza de Angola between July 1906 and 24 November 1907 (A Defeza de Angola, 21 February and 6 December 1907), when, due to possible internal tensions, he left the newspaper, and Defeza ended shortly afterwards. In early January 1908, Lobato founded the biweekly newspaper Voz de Angola, which called for the continuation of Defeza's project. Although the administrator changed, the motto, headquarters, and editor remained the same.

The collection available corresponds to the direction of Júlio Lobato, who signed with the pseudonym Xavier da Câmara or the initials X.C. Lobato was also involved in local politics, serving as vice-president of the Luanda Municipal Commission. On the newspaper's fourth anniversary, he explained Defeza's journalistic stance as a forum for guiding opinion, guided by ‘truth’, in favour of the ‘moral and material development of the colony’ (A Direção 1907). However, it was when he started Voz de Angola that Lobato would elaborate on the Defeza project. In addition to the topics already mentioned, he points to others such as defending the civilising influence of the “indigenous peoples” (described in terms common to contemporary Africanism and Orientalism), with the creation of “new needs” that would transform them into worker-consumers being a fundamental aspect (Camara 1908). 

The newspaper's contents confirm the triad that comprises its subtitle. First and foremost, the decentralisation and autonomy agenda was consistent with a colonisation project focused on local interests, represented mainly by businesspeople and other civil society actors who would guide the development strategy. One of the main tenets of this agenda was the fight against corruption and administrative incompetence. They also confirm opposition to the militarisation of the colony, which diverted resources and fuelled local tensions, thereby establishing a direct relationship between peace and prosperity guaranteed by private initiative, supported by the authorities. Finally, they confirm the fight against the disguised slavery of “indigenous” workers and their trafficking to São Tomé, in which humanitarian reasons were combined with concerns about the impact of forced migration on the locally available workforce. At the national level, he was assiduous in his opposition to the government of João Franco and the monarchy, criticising, for example, the purpose of the Crown Prince, Luís Filipe's, visit to the African colonies.

Seeking to be the voice of Angola, with a territorial presence, the newspaper invested in a network of correspondents, some identifiable and others signing with pseudonyms or acronyms, who contributed to sections such as ‘Mala da Província’ (Provincial Courier), ‘A revista dos Distritos’ (The District Magazine) and ‘O nosso Correio’ (Our Mail). It also invested in the debate on economic and sectoral issues, with an emphasis on agriculture. It was also committed to expressing diverse opinions, ensured by a network of republican journalists and writers in Portugal and Angola, often expressed in chronicles, especially in the sections ‘Opiniões e Sentimentos’ (Opinions and Feelings) and ‘Questões do Dia’ (Issues of the Day). It also had sections signed under pseudonyms, such as ‘Facts and Reflections’ (Factos eReflexões) by Spartaco, ‘Cases and Echoes’ (Casos e Ecos) by Argus, ‘Echoes from Abroad’ (Ecos do Estrangeiro) by Reporter and ‘Miscellaneous’ (Varia) by Justus. As a rule, the issues included short poems by Guerra Junqueiro, Alberto Osório de Castro, Angelina Vidal, Eugénio de Castro, Alberto Marques Pereira, Branca de Gonta Colaço, Mariano Gracias, among many others. It had the graphic originality of reproducing, in serial form, the short story by Fialho de Almeida, Tragédia do génio obscuro, from an edition of Os Gatos, while respecting the original layout.

In addition to other contributors scattered throughout the provinces, the most frequent ones were in Portugal. Specifically, Fernando Reis with ‘Cartas de Lisboa’ (Letters from Lisbon), later renamed ‘Cartas da Metrópole’ (Letters from the Metropolis); and the politician, journalist and writer Francisco Mayer Garção (Lisbon, 1872-1930) with ‘Notas & Impressões’ (Notes & Impressions), a frequent collaborator of Reis on other projects. In addition to these columns, both contributed critical and literary texts to other sections. The newspaper also featured sporadic contributions from Ana de Castro Osório, which were always prominently advertised.

At the end of 1906, it announced that it would become illustrated, in accordance with the requirements of a ‘modern newspaper,’ but the project fell through.

During this period, Marcolino António Joaquim was its editor. Between July and September 1907, Captain Álvaro Teixeira Lopes was its administrator, replaced in October by Nicolau Albuquerque. 

It had its own printing press, with its editorial office, administration and workshops located at Rua D. Miguel de Mello, 30 in Luanda.

Form and presentation: Sandra Ataíde Lobo, with the collaboration of Miriam de Sousa

Translation from Portuguese: Loraine Alberto

Bibliography

“Expediente” A Defeza de Angola, n. 313, 6 de dezembro de 1907

A Direção, “Quarto Ano” A Defeza de Angola, n. 262, 21 de fevereiro de 1907

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Lopo, Júlio de Castro. 1964. Jornalismo de Angola: Subsídios para a Sua História. Luanda: Centro de Informação e Turismo de Angola.

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