This happened at a time when Portuguese missionaries had identified Angola as a prime target for the slave trade. The Portuguese forcefully dethroned the king, imprisoning him and seizing control of his kingdom. However, Queen Nzinga, the courageous sister of the deposed king, refused to accept the Portuguese rule passively. She marched straight to the Portuguese governor's office to demand the safe return of her brother and the release of all Angola's people from slavery. The governor refused to offer Nzinga a chair. So, Nzinga, who had upwards of 50 male servants in her service at any given time, told a servant to get down on the ground and create a perch upon which she could sit. Upon settling onto the servant's back, Nzinga started her negotiations, and when the discussion ended, Nzinga told the servant to stand, at which point she slit his throat in front of the Portuguese governor. Realizing that they had underestimated the immense power and resolve of Nzinga, the Portuguese government relented and agreed to return her brother.
#Angola #Africa
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