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Another mural at the CIJAM made during our stay here, commemorating friendship between the nation of Angola and Cuba! Carlota was a memorable leader of the slave uprising in Angola, supported by the Cuban army leaving 2.385 of its soldiers dead.

In Africa we are used to being victims of countries that want to take from us our territory or overthrow our sovereignty. In African history there is not another instance where another people has stood up for one of ours. We also acknowledge that the action was carried out by the masses in Cuba and that those who fought and died in Angola are only a small portion of those who volunteered to go. To the Cuban people internationalism is not only a word but something which they have put into practice for the benefit of large sectors of mankind.

— Nelson Mandela, 1991

Cuba then recovered all of the remains of its soldiers in “Operación Tributo”. Leaders of Angola and the African continent agreed: this move was unprecedented. Never had another country intervened in Angola, left, and only asked of the remnants of its soldiers, instead of its rich resources, like oil, gold, or gemstones.