The Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola (National Front for the Liberation of Angola) grew out of the UPA (Union of Peoples of Angola, previously Union of Peoples of Northern Angola), a predominately Bakongo movement based in northern Angola and led by Holden Roberto.  While the MPLA had its origins in Lisbon and Luanda, the UPA was founded in Léopoldville (modern Kinshasa) in neighboring Congo, also home to a large Bakongo population.  In the late 1950s and 60s, Léopoldville was a center of nationalist activism, hosting a large refugee community from Angola and over fifty Angolan political organizations, mostly made up of Bakongos. 