Literature

Angolan literature dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. Angola's literature, which has always been confrontational and satirical, reflects the richness of its culture. Angola has a rich literary legacy. Political poetry, of which former President Agostinho Neto was a notable example, has been an important genre. The arts, which are relatively uncensored, have been a major means of expressing opposition to the governmental system. Many communities value oral literature, such as mermaids in Luandan folklore, Ovimbundu trickster tales, and sand graphs and their explanations in the east. This is one of the Unique Cultural Characteristics In Angola that you should know.

Angola is a Lusophone country because it was a Portuguese colony. Although there are numerous separate tribes in Angola and Portuguese is not everyone's first language, most authors write in Portuguese. Luandino Vieira was awarded the Cames Prize in 2006, but he turned it down and the $128,000 USD prize money for "personal and intimate reasons."

The MPLA and UNITA have largely controlled the press. Journalists who express opposing viewpoints have had their freedom of expression restricted: murder, censorship, and defamation allegations have all been used to stifle an independent press. Radio is a vital source of information, although it has long been dominated by hostile parties; now, a Catholic radio station, Rádio Ecclésia, has been formed.