Antnio Agostinho Neto (September 17, 1922 September 10, 1979) was the first

President of Angola (19751979), a poet, nationalist and ar!ist"#eninist, fo$nder and

leader of the %omm$nist part&, the So'iet"line Pop$lar o'ement for the #iberation of
Angola (P#A)( )is birthda& is %elebrated as *ational )eroes +a&, a p$bli% holida& in
Angola(
Biography
,orn in the 'illage of -a!i.ane in /%olo e ,engo in Angola in 1922, he was a prominent
fig$re from the 1900s when he be%ame an important member of a mo'ement in Angola
that so$ght to redis%o'er traditional Angolan %$lt$re( +espite his parti%ipation in
nationalist mo'ements, he st$died medi%ine in #isbon(
After attaining a medi%al degree, he ret$rned to Angola, b$t was immediatel& %onsidered
a tro$blesome fig$re b& the Port$g$ese %olonial a$thorities, d$e to his opposition to
%olonial r$le( 1or his a%tions, he was arrested, and in t$rn man& of his patients protested,
leading to a %ra%.down b& %olonial troops( +espite his imprisonment, he wo$ld es%ape to
oro%%o, and wo$ld be%ome an important leader of Angolan resistan%e from e!ile(
*eto was arrested se'eral times b& the politi%al poli%e of the 2stado *o'o regime, the
P/+2( )e was also aided in se'eral o%%asions b& the Port$g$ese 3omm$nist Part&(
)e was one of the first members of the P#A, one of three fa%tions that 'ied for power
after the Port$g$ese withdrawal from Angola (following the 3arnation 4e'ol$tion), and
later led the %o$ntr& after independen%e on *o'ember 11, 1975( )is go'ernment
de'eloped %lose lin.s with the So'iet 5nion and other nations in the 2astern blo% and
other 3omm$nist states( )e was s$%%eeded in his %apa%it& as president of the state and
P#A leader b& 6os7 2d$ardo dos Santos(
*eto died in a hospital in os%ow, in the So'iet 5nion, while $ndergoing s$rger& for
%an%er, and while the Angolan 3i'il 8ar between the P#A go'ernment and 6onas
Sa'imbi9s *ational 5nion for :otal /ndependen%e of Angola (5*/:A) was ongoing(
Agostinho *eto was awarded the #enin Pea%e Pri;e (1975"7<)(