About Deolinda Rodrigues
Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida (nom de guerre Langidila; 10 February 1939 – 1968) was an Angolan revolutionary, writer, and poet. She was a member of the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA, transl. 'People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola') and, in addition to seeing combat, worked for the organisation as a translator, educator, and radio host. Born into a Methodist family, she received a scholarship to study in Brazil, where she corresponded with Martin Luther King Jr. Fearing extradition to Portugal because of her work with the MPLA, she continued her education in the United States before returning to Africa. Rodrigues was the sole woman on the MPLA's central committee in the 1960s and co-founded the MPLA's women's wing, the Organização da Mulher de Angola (OMA, transl. 'Organization of Angolan Women'). She was also one of five women members of the Esquadrão Kamy (transl. 'Camy Squadron'), a guerilla unit tasked with reinforcing MPLA troops in Angola. She was captured by a rival nationalist group in 1967 while attempting to reach Angola with the Esquadrão Kamy and was executed in 1968. The anniversary of her capture is celebrated as the "Day of the Angolan Woman" in Angola, and a documentary about her life was released in 2014. While there she founded the OMA, the women's division of the MPLA. In 1954, Rodrigues moved with her mother and siblings to the capital Luanda and lived with her aunt Maria da Silva, in the same house as her son, the poet Agostinho Neto, who went on to become the first president of Angola.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.