Agostinho Neto
1922—1979
Poet Agostinho Neto was born in Bengo Province, Angola, the son of a pastor and a professor. Before becoming a political leader, he studied medicine at the University of Lisbon and was a practicing physician. Imprisoned repeatedly for his political activism with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, Neto became the newly independent nation’s first president in 1975.
Neto’s publications include the poetry collection Sacred Hope (1974). He was a founding member of the Angolan Writers Union and of the Center for African Studies in Lisbon. His literary honors include the Conference of Afro-Asian Writers’ Lotus Prize. The only public university in Angola honored Neto in 1985 by changing its name to the Universidade Agostinho Neto.
In 1979, Neto died in Moscow while undergoing treatment for cancer.
Neto’s publications include the poetry collection Sacred Hope (1974). He was a founding member of the Angolan Writers Union and of the Center for African Studies in Lisbon. His literary honors include the Conference of Afro-Asian Writers’ Lotus Prize. The only public university in Angola honored Neto in 1985 by changing its name to the Universidade Agostinho Neto.
In 1979, Neto died in Moscow while undergoing treatment for cancer.