Fortress of Muxima
Province: Bengo (North of the Country)
Founded in 1599, the Fortress of "Muxima" is placed in the district
of Muxima on the left bank of the Kwanza River, Province of Bengo.
It deals with the first prison of the angolan occupation period. It
helped the advance of penetration to the interior of the angolan
territory and assured the defence against the angolan people who offered
resistance to the portuguese occupation and the other colonial
potencies, of which the ships going up the Kwanza River went locking for
the slaves in the interior of the country.
Its building would come to support the trading relationships, the
markets, the inlander ones, the
ivory business and overall the slaves traffic.
The Fortress of "Muxina" was used as the basis of portuguese forces
and its support when they went to the interior making raids and wars of
"kwata-kwata" (wars among the africans linked to the europeans who
working to them, caught the other africans for the slavery). The slaves
went by land in long raws to the vila of Calumbo, or were sent by sea in
the Muxirna harbour and going down by ship the Kwanza River were sent to
America.
It was classified as National Monument by Provincial Decret n. 2, 12
of January of 1924.
This Fortress is badly preserved and constitute a state property. The
responsibility for its maintenance and preservation concerns the
Ministry of Culture.