28/01/2023
Zinga Mbandi Ngola was also considered a talented diplomat, which can be confirmed in Portuguese sources. In 1657, at the age of seventy-five, she was forced to sign a peace treaty with the Portuguese, as the forces were unequal. To the praise of her bravery, the Queen replied to the Catholic missionary Father Antoine Gaeta: “I am now old, my father, and deserve indulgence. When I was young, I was second to no warrior in speed of walking and sleight of hand. There was a time when I was not afraid to fight 25 armed white soldiers. True, I did not know how to use muskets, but courage, courage and prudence are also needed to strike with a sword. She died 6 years later, at the age of 81, and with her death, the era of relative stability and a certain parity in relations with Portugal ended for Angola.
