Report of Historical Research in Angola

Extract

In late 1966 and early 1967 this writer spent four months in Angola doing research into the development of education there during the period 1878-1914. The following report is meant to give an indication of the contents of the archives there and the procedure for gaining access to them. It supplements the information available in C. R. Boxer's Portuguese Society in the Tropics (Madison, 1965), pp. 220-224.

There are indications that historians will encounter less difficulty than scholars of other disciplines in acquiring visas for Angola. Though such visas may be obtained in the United States, they are more easily acquired directly from the Portuguese International Police (PIDE) in Lisbon. While in Lisbon it would be helpful to make contact with some of the professors at the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Política Ultramarina (Rua da Junqueira, 86). Besides providing information about any current regulations and research, they will no doubt provide letters of introduction which may prove invaluable in Angola.

The best source for historical information in Angola is the Angola Historical Archive (AHA), located in the Museum of Luanda. Permission to use it is granted by the director of the Instituto de Investigaçao Científica de Angola (IICA) located in the University (Estudos Gerais) building. The IICA, in charge of most research in the province, has been cooperative with properly identified foreign scholars.