Simon Kimbangu, a BaKongo peasant and catechist, declared that he was an emissary of God, chosen to lead his people from under the yoke of Belgian colonialism. He was arrested that year, but his movement persisted in rural areas for more than 30 years despite concerted persecution.
A Military coup in Portugal led to the Estado Novo, and the accession to power of Antonio Salazar in 1928. Estado Novo revived colonial development policies, especially with respect to cotton, forcing many peasants in Angola and Mozambique to convert to cotton production instead of food crops, at great cost to their living standards.
