Victory Day in Angola

In the 70s it came back but then as the Victory Carnival, commemorating the retreat of the South African army in 1976. Until the 90s this was the standard in Angola, with the parades mostly focusing on nationalistic symbols. The Angolan Carnival has always been heavily politically influenced, with the groups originally mocking symbols of colonial power in the early 20th Century.

Each year a religious or political message is selected and the Carnival groups focus on that topic. Preparations for the event are taken very seriously and start almost immediately after the previous one has finished. The different groups normally have a Carnival queen or king, followed by a group of musicians, who only use traditional instruments, and then followed by the dancers.