Viriato Clemente da Cruz (25 March 1928 – 13 June 1973) was an Angolan poet and politician, who was born in Kikuvo, Porto Amboim, Portuguese Angola, and died in Beijing, People's Republic of China.
[2] He returned to Luanda, the capital, and was a central figure in the literary magazine Mensagem, which developed the idea of an Angolan nation.
On September 30, 1957, Da Cruz left for Lisbon, with the hopes of recruiting advice and support from the Partido Comunista Portugués (PCP).
[4] Da Cruz went on to Paris and Frankfurt, where Mário Pinto de Andrade and Lúcio Lara contributed to the revision of his manifesto.
He soon fell out of favour with the Chinese government due to his support for Liu Shaoqi, who had been denounced by Mao Zedong as a "capitalist-roader".
In poems such as "Mamã negra (Canto de esperança)", Viriato da Cruz explore themes of Black African identity, and the symbol of "Mother Africa".