This page covers the period of the Roque-Rodrigues family in the 1950s, after the unpopulated area of Lubango (aka Sa da Bandeira) in Angola was founded and settled in 1885. Angola was first dicovereed and settled in the 15th century. The first settlers to the Lubango area in Southern Angola came from the island of Madeira in 1885, followed by several waves, and were expected to give strenght to Portuguese claims to the unpopulated south of Angola to keep Germans from German South-West Africa (Namibia since 1989) at bay. 1886 was when the Treaty of Berlin had been signed by colonial powers, establishing demarcations, and pledging to eliminate the 1000 year-old Islamic slave trade and restore Africa to greatness. Contrary to the wishes of the Portuguese government far away, the Madeirans preferred trading to farming, and were taught by the South African Boers (farmers) also present in Southern Angola how to build transport wagons and run businesses. See the Angola page for the complete history of this region.
