It is March. A month with a feminine complexion and dedicated to every woman in the world. But it is also the month of Angolan women. It belongs to those women who suffer, love and fight with a large smile on their lips and bold eyes. It is the month of the ‘zungueiras‘, hawkers who carry their merchandise on their heads and their babies on their backs. It is the month of the business women who break their way into this chauvinist and implacable society. March – Women. The month of the wives who are belaboured by their souless husbands. March. The month dedicated to these women and every other woman who make Angola a stronger and warmer country. Angolan Woman's Day is celebrated on March 02, because of the bravery of four women who fought for Angola's Independence. They are Deolinda Rodrigues, Irene Cohen, Engrácia dos Santos and Lucrécia Paim, who were supposedly ambushed by the FNLA (National Liberation Front of Angola), in the northern part of the country. They were captured and killed but their names are still in the Angolan people's memory. As would be expected, Angolan bloggers have not let the date go unnoticed. In the Conde de Angola [pt] blog, the author depicts Angolan women, starting his narrative with a beautiful poem by Décio Bettencourt Mateus: “O miúdo nas costas, faminto O sol queimando O sol assando O miúdo nas costas, faminto de alimento As moscas acariciando-o E o lixo distraindo-o! A zungueira zunga, cansada Na cabeça, o negócio e o sustento E nos pés empoeirados O cansaço dos quilómetros galgados O cansaço da distância percorrida A zungueira zunga, o miúdo nas costas faminto!” Este pequeno excerto do poema de Bettencourt retrata o “espírito guerreiro” das mulheres angolanas, também conhecidas por zungueiras. Começo assim o texto desta semana, dedicado a todas as mulheres de Angola, que no passado dia 2 de Março receberam homenagem com a comemoração do Dia da Mulher Angolana… e bem que elas o merecem, são umas autênticas leoas, especialmente as mulheres do pré-guerra. Gordas, magras, altas, baixas, convencem pela conversa transformando um perfume da Avon num perfume Channel. Em média têm sete filhos cada uma, há quem diga que este fenómeno se deva ao facto de só cerca de 6% usarem métodos contraceptivos, o certo é que a programação da TPA (Televisão Pública de Angola) também não ajuda a que este número baixe e por outro lado temos o ego masculino que pode ser rejeitado socialmente senão procriar. Enfim, é tudo a ajudar. Longe estão os tempos em que o ganha-pão era responsabilidade só dos homens. Agora a sobrevivência passa a ser uma questão de igualdade, mas onde a mulher carrega tudo: carrega a criança às costas, muitas vezes carrega uma às costas e outra dentro da barriga, carrega as robustas cargas para a venda do dia, carrega o sol na cabeça quando sai e retorna com ele, carrega a ingratidão do marido com os copos, carrega as lamentações das crianças, carrega, carrega, carrega…” Burning sun Baking sun Boy on her back, hungry for food Flies caress him Garbage distracts him! The hawker hawks, tired On her head her business and livelihood On her dusty feet Tiredness of kilometers covered Tiredness of the distance traveled The hawker hawks, the starving boy on her back! This small excerpt of Bettencourt's poem portrays the “warrior spirit” of Angolan women, also known as zungueiras. I begin this week's piece of writing with it, dedicated to all Angolan women to whom we paid homage on Angolan Woman's Day last March 2nd… and they well deserve it, they are real lionesses, especially the pre-war period women. Fat, thin, tall, short, their cunning ploys turn an Avon into a Chanel perfume. On average, they have seven children each, some say that this phenomenon is due to the fact that only about 6% of them use contraception. On one hand the programs broadcast by the Public Television of Angola do not help to bring this number down. On the other hand, we have the male's beliefs that without procreating they would be socially rejected. In the end, it all adds up. Gone are the times in which men were solely responsible for winning the bread.