Alda Lara was born on 9 June 1930 in
Benguela,
Portuguese Angola. She came from a wealthy family and received a Christian education, which gave her a spirit of liberalism according to one commentator. Her brother was the noted poet
Ernesto Lara Filho. Lara attended a women's school in Sá da Bandeira (now Lubango) before moving to Portugal to finish her secondary schooling. She attended
University of Lisbon and resided at the
Casa dos Estudantes do Império (House of the Students of the Empire). She had an active student life and began her writing career by publishing poetry in the literary journal
Mensagem, a publication specifically for Africans. Lara later attended the
University of Coimbra and earned a degree in medicine. ==Career==