Sebastião Coelho e a construção sonora da angolanidade

Abstract

Sebastião Coelho (1931-2002) was a radio announcer, independent broadcaster and disc producer, born to colonial settler parents in Nova Lisboa (currently Huambo, Angola) who contributed to the construction of a new sonorous Angolanness. In this paper, Sebastião Coelho’s role in this process is discussed. Coelho’s new sonorous Angolanness derives from the
literary expression of the Angolan anti-colonial movement that emerged in the 1940s. We provide an account of how he used sound, radio and the respective corporative structures to oppose the colonial regime at the end of the Portuguese colonial empire hence contributing to build up a new sonorous Angolanness. Methodologically, research included examination of the Portuguese Political Police (PIDE) archives deposited at the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, with oral history, provided through in-depth interviews with Sebastião Coelho’s relatives, as well as with documents written and published by the radio
professional after Angolan’s independence.
Keywords: Sebastião Coelho, angolan identity, radio programming, colonialism.