Reporting 4 February 1961 in Angola: The Beginning of the End of the Portuguese Empire

Abstract

At dawn on 4 February 1961, several raids on Luanda prisons holding Angolan nationalists marked the beginning of the colonial insurrection against Portuguese rule in Angola, which in time would lead to the fall of the Portuguese empire in Africa. Chapter 13 thoroughly analyses the coverage of the events by four main Lisbon dailies, comparing it to the reports on the same occurrences published by British and French newspapers. Through this comparative approach, the chapter uncovers information and meanings which the censored Lisbon press was not able to reveal, and captures some of the disinformation, distortions and lies fabricated by the political apparatus of the Estado Novo.