Ilídio Machado

Ilídio Machado
1st President of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
In office
1956–1959
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byMário Pinto de Andrade
Personal details
Born
Ilídio Tomé Alves Machado

(1914-12-17)December 17, 1914
Novo Redondo, Portuguese Angola
Died(1987-08-28)August 28, 1987
Angola
Political partyMPLA
Other political
affiliations		Angolan Communist Party
Parent(s)Domingos José Alves Machado
Balbina Domingos
NicknamePaulo Costa

Ilídio Tomé Alves Machado (17 Decemberm, 1914 – August 28, 1983) was an Angolan politician, militant, and Telegraph employee who co-founded the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in 1956 and served as its first president until his arrest in 1959.[1]

Early life

Machado was born in Novo Redondo on 17 December 1914 to Domingos José Alves Machado and Balbina Domingos as a member of the Kimbundu tribe with some Brazilian descent.[2][3][4] Before entering politics, he was a Post Telegraph and Communications employee.[3]

Activism

Machado was a high-ranking member of the Angolan Communist Party,[5] and helped co-found the MPLA with Viriato da Cruz, Mário Pinto de Andrade, and Lúcio Lara on 10 December 1956[1] where he served as its first president until his arrest for "subversive activities against the Portuguese Government" in 1959, where he was succeeded by Mário Pinto de Andrade in an acting capacity until 1956 and then by Agostinho Neto.[6][7][8]

Machado was arrested in Lisbon on 27 May 1959 and was tried in the Territorial Military Court of Angola where he was found guilty in 1961 and sentenced to 4 years in prison. Machado was released on parole in 1965.[3]

Death

Machado passed away on August 28, 1983.[3]

Legacy

Machado was honored by the MPLA in 2018 for his role in securing Angolan independence and was officially recognized as the party's first president.[7][9] However, his designation as the first President of the MPLA is disputed, as some scholars view his role in the creation of the party as trivial.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Edmundo Melo Rocha, Francisco Soares, Moisés Silva Fernandes Angola: Viriato da Cruz : o homem e o mito Porto Amboim (Angola) 2008 Page 130 "Ilídio Machado, nascido em Novo Redondo, actual Sumbe, em 17 de Dezembro de 1914, funcionário dos correios, foi certamente um dos ..."
  2. ^ Segal, Ronald. African Profiles, 1970. Page 65.
  3. ^ a b c d "Associação Tchiweka de Documentação". www.tchiweka.org. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  4. ^ Zau, Filipe. "Jornal de Angola - Notícias - Os descendentes de Pedro Félix". Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  5. ^ Faria, Paulo C. J. (2014). The Post-War Angola: Public Sphere, Political Regime and Democracy. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  6. ^ George, Edward. The Cuban Intervention in Angola, 1965-1991: From Che Guevara to Cuito Cuanavale, 2005. Page 286.
  7. ^ a b "MPLA reconhece Ilídio Tomé Alves Machado como primeiro presidente do partido - Angola24Horas - Portal de Noticias Online". Angola24Horas (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  8. ^ "Esboço de organigrama do MPLA | Associação Tchiweka de Documentação". www.tchiweka.org. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  9. ^ diz, Inga Araújo (2018-09-08). "MPLA reconhece Ilídio Machado e Mário Pinto de Andrade como os seus primeiros presidentes". Vivências Press News (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  10. ^ "Ilídio Machado não presidiu o MPLA em nenhum momento da sua história". ANGONOTÍCIAS. Retrieved 2024-03-13.