Ponta do Padrão (Standard Point)

This island is located in the Northwest of the Municipality of Soyo, Zaire Province.

It is an island well known for its magnificent history. During the reign of King João II, the Portuguese arrived at the mouth of the Congo River, under the command of Diogo Cão, in 1482, beginning the conquest of Angola.
The first step was to establish an alliance with the Kingdom of Kongo, which controlled the entire northern region of Angola.
In this way, the history of Ponta Padrão can be divided into three major historical periods, namely: Pre-colonial; Colonial and Contemporary.

PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD
Speaking of Ponta Padrão during the pre-colonial period, there is a lack of a clear historical account, since history was traditionally passed down.
In a few words, according to remote tradition, Ponta Padrão was a place marking the division between Southern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa south of the equator.
Consequently, Ponta Padrão was called muan-a-nkukutu, because the sea provided many fish, many of which occasionally died, and the dead fish led to the appearance of many creatures known as nkukutu.

It was also a region inhabited by a population that mostly lived from agriculture, hunting and artisanal fishing. The activity most widely practised by them was artisanal fishing.
During the Pre-colonial Period, these lands did not know Christianity as they do today, but rather had a strong expression of traditional belief in a supreme power (Almighty God), Nzabi-ya-mpungo.
Divisions have another connotation:
1st Passage of the caravels with the aim of finding lands different from the others;
2nd Place of passage for meeting kings with traditional powers.

COLONIAL PERIOD
Ponta Padrão during the colonial period is associated with the arrival on 23 April 1482. For the first time, the expeditions of the colonial government, led by the captain-major named Diogo Cão, arrived at the mouth of the great river with the caravan accompanying him.
There, he erected the Padrão, which he named São Jorge.
According to the chronicler João de Barros, after the discovery of the Mina Coast, King João II ordered that, instead of the wooden crosses that had previously been erected at the places reached by the navigators, they should “carry a padrão as high as two men's heights” (twice the height of a man).

The first to carry them was Diogo Cão, who placed one near the mouth of the great river, giving it the name São Jorge because he was a saint of great devotion to the King. “In the year of the creation of the world 6,881, and of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ 1,482 years, the most high, most excellent and prince, King João II, ordered these lands to be discovered and this padrão to be erected by Diogo Cão, squire of his household.”
It is also important to remember that the name Padrão given to the river was given by the Portuguese because it was the beginning of everything, that is, the first place where they set foot.

The local inhabitants, however, called it Nzadi, and the landmark known as Ponta Padrão had great political and religious significance:
Political because it justified Diogo Cão's military presence with the aim of exploring new lands and, in turn, experiencing the two phases of colonialism, which are:

a) Penetration and colonial occupation. Penetration refers to establishing direct contact with the inhabitants they encountered.
b) Occupation justified the liberation of the minds of the people they encountered;

From a Religious perspective, the Latin inscriptions engraved on it, translated into Portuguese, mean the following: “In the year of the creation of the world 6,881, and of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ 1,482 years, the most high, most excellent and prince, King João II, ordered these lands to be discovered and this padrão to be erected by Diogo Cão, squire of his household” (symbolising the year of Christ's birth).

Also from a religious perspective, his second expedition there had as its main objective the introduction of Christianity for the first time into these lands of Sub-Saharan Africa, since during the pre-colonial period these lands did not know Christianity as they do today, but rather had a strong expression of traditional belief in a supreme power (Almighty God), Nzabi-ya-mpungo.

Furthermore, this place experienced considerable commercial activity because of its entrance, known as nzadi (depth), and later became known as Santo António do Zaire in 1489.
It served as a meeting place between the Portuguese government and traditional kings.

CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
Speaking of Ponta Padrão in contemporary times, it has become a historical site, a place of leisure, religious expression, political security, a Historic Place.

Looking into the past, this place was not revered as it is today; our current history tells us that Ponta Padrão is the birthplace of the mother of Jesus Christ, whose name is Mary.

The physical position presents us with Mary's footprint, which is also traditionally interpreted as a place of integration for all those who visit it for the first time.
This integration is carried out through a symbolic gesture of the body, which is dancing, accompanied by a modern beverage, namely wine.
There is generally always a guide or an elder from the island who tells us about the history of the place.