Angola Under the Portuguese: The Myth and the Reality (Non-Fiction)
by Gerald H. Bender

Africa World Press (January 2004)

$29.95

The book is the first comprehensive study of race relations in Angola. It covers the entire five-century-long relationship between the peoples of Angola and Portugal. The evidence presented in this work indicates that Portuguese rule in Angola was deeply racist. This conclusion is based on a considerable body of data gleaned from archival sources, personal collections, and systematic interviewing of racially diverse Angolans and Portuguese functionaries in the colonial administration and the private sector. Special emphasis is placed on devices that the Portuguese used to delude themselves and others about the realities of their attitudes and behavior as ruling elites. The study concludes with an assessment of the impact of Lusotropical myths on independent Angola.