Ilídio Machado

Ilídio Tomé Alves Machado (December 17, 1914 – August 28, 1983) was an Angolan politician, militant, and Telegraph employee who co-founded the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in 1956 and served as its first president until his arrest in 1959.

Early life Machado was born in Novo Redondo on 17 December 1914 to Domingos José Alves Machado and Balbina Domingos as a member of the Kimbundu tribe with some Brazilian descent. His brothers, Humberto Machado and Américo Alves Machado, were other prominent figures in the Angolan nationalist struggle. He worked as a postal officer for the Directorate of Postal and Telecommunications Services. and helped co-found the MPLA with Viriato da Cruz, Mário Pinto de Andrade, and Lúcio Lara on 10 December 1956

Machado was arrested in Lisbon on 27 May 1959 and was tried in the Territorial Military Court of Angola where he was found guilty in 1961 and sentenced to 4 years in prison. Machado was released on parole in 1965. However, his designation as the first President of the MPLA is disputed, as some scholars view his role in the creation of the party as trivial.