On February 4, Angola celebrates Liberation Movement Day, also known as Day of the Armed Struggle.
This day commemorates the anniversary of the Baixa de Cassanje revolt that is considered a trigger for the Angolan War of Independence.
After the Dutch occupation of the territory of modern-day Angola, the Portuguese sought to reassert their control over the area.
The struggle over the territory had lasted for more than two centuries, until Angola was incorporated as a Portuguese colony in 1886.
In 1951, Angola was designated as an overseas province.
The first political organizations fighting for the right to self-determination emerged, such as the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola and the National Front for the Liberation Angola.
In February 1961, agricultural workers employed by a cotton plantation company in the region of Baixa de Cassanje stage protest in order to force the company to improve their working conditions.
The protest led to a general uprising that was brutally suppressed by the Portuguese authorities on February 4.
It is considered the first battle of the Angolan War of Independence which lasted for almost 15 years.
In 1996, the government of Angola designated the anniversary of the revolt a public holiday named Liberation Movement Day.
