Black History Fact Of The Day

"She was Queen and General of Angola. She was a military genius. Her favorite strategies were surprise attacks and infiltrating enemy ranks. The Portuguese were trying to control Angola. They were effectively using the theory of divide and conquer and were pitting Africans against Africans. Queen Nzingha took advantage of this and literally had more of her soldiers in their ranks than they had. She successfully warded off the attacks of the Portuguese for more than 40 years.

Not only was she a great military genius, she was an intense negotiator. The Governor of Portugal called for negotiations and a treaty to be established between the Portuguese and the Angolans. In the meeting room the Governor had his executive cabinet and military officers all around him and he was comfortably sitting in a chair. When the Queen entered with her men, the executive council and military officers did not stand to greet her. The Governor smirked. He designed the room so that the only chair in the room would be his. Queen Nzingha was always prepared, battle filed or negotiations. She knew that the Governor was arrogant, racist, and discourteous. Therefore, she brought her own accommodations. Her men rolled out the royal carpet for her. Her military officers took turns kneeling, palms to the ground, and were honored to have her sit on their back as she negotiated for the liberation of her people. The Governor then realized he was in for the fight of his life and that Queen Nzingha was going to represent her people with dignity." -From, "Sankofa: Stories of Power, Hope, and Joy" By: Jawanza Kunjufu