Deolinda Rodrigues

Deolinda Rodrigues
Other name(s)	Langidila
Born	(1939-02-10)10 February 1939 Catete, Portuguese West Africa
Died	1968 (aged 28–29) Kinkuzu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Allegiance	MPLA
Years of service	1962–1968
Battles / wars	Angolan War of Independence †
Relations	Roberto Francisco de Almeida (brother) Agostinho Neto (cousin) Ruth Neto (cousin)
Other work	Writer poet translator educator

Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida (nom de guerre Langidila;^[1] 10 February 1939 – 1968) was an Angolan revolutionary, writer, and poet. She was a member of the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA, transl. 'People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola') and, in addition to seeing combat, worked for the organisation as a translator, educator, and radio host.

Born into a Methodist family, she received a scholarship to study in Brazil, where she corresponded with Martin Luther King Jr. Fearing extradition to Portugal because of her work with the MPLA, she continued her education in the United States before returning to Africa. Rodrigues was the sole woman on the MPLA's central committee in the 1960s and co-founded the MPLA's women's wing, the Organização da Mulher de Angola (OMA, transl. 'Organization of Angolan Women'). She was also one of five women members of the Esquadrão Kamy (transl. 'Camy Squadron'), a guerilla unit tasked with reinforcing MPLA troops in Angola.

She was captured by a rival nationalist group in 1967 while attempting to reach Angola with the Esquadrão Kamy and was executed in 1968. The anniversary of her capture is celebrated as the "Day of the Angolan Woman" in Angola, and a documentary about her life was released in 2014.