Fortaleza de Cambambe is a national heritage, which has ruins built in 1604 by Portuguese settlers and became a National Monument through Provincial Decree No. 67, of May 30, 1925.

O Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the private company Odebrecht, saw the need to carry out requalification works and preserve the history of Angola and to make this project a reality, in 2013 the reconstruction began and was completed in 2017, handed over to the Angolan Government on the 18th. April 2017, the day that marked the international day of monuments and sites.

Location

The cultural-tourist center is located in the province of North Kwanza, municipality of Cambambe, Fortaleza has been a point that has received many tourists in the province, over the past 3 years.

From military base to national monument

Cambambe Fortress was used as a military base by the Portuguese, and this base was also used as high security prisons where slaves were captured and kept locked in the fortress until they were taken to Europe and America for the purpose of being marketed, and warehouses for products that were found on colonized lands.

Highlights of the fortress

In the 1600s the Portuguese were already with an advanced military strategy compared to national defence, there was a governor-general and he appointed his commanders and gave them the respective territories that should be occupied and explored, for this reason, there was the need to build a fortress, to defend against enemy forces.

The first contact with the native people was a friendly relationship. Afterwards, the native people started to have as their main enemy, the colonizers, when they felt threatened and realized that they were being enslaved, millions of slaves were sold for hard work, and from there a series of conflicts emerged in which the natives were dominated by the colonizers.

National Monument Management

The Cambambe Fortress is currently under the responsibility of the local administrator, the Catholic Church, and has the support of PRODEL – EP, the company responsible for managing the Cambambe dam, and is monitored by the Ministry of Culture.

With this guide you can enjoy a complete visit to the national monument Fortaleza de Cambambe. Please let us know if this article was helpful to you in the comments below.

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