Praça da República, in Luanda, will be the stage for the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Angola’s Independence. Around 10 thousand guests from 45 foreign delegations, including Portugal, will be present at the event that marks the anniversary in the Angolan capital.
The highlight will be the speech by President João Lourenço, who will reflect on the past and project the future of the country, which still faces several challenges half a century after becoming independent. There will also be a civil parade, which will feature around 6 thousand participants from various sectors of Angolan society; a military parade with the various branches of the Armed Forces, the singing of the national anthem and the awarding of a medal to the first Angolan President, António Agostinho Neto, posthumously.
The program is long – it will take place between 9am local time (8am in Lisbon) and 1pm (12pm in Lisbon). It is also planned to lay a wreath next to the sarcophagus of António Agostinho Neto and a minute of silence in honor of the first Angolan President and the heroes of the struggle for independence, before the official lunch, second the “Jornal de Angola”.
The Portuguese head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is already in Luanda, as is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel. The Portuguese delegation also includes representatives of parties such as social democrat Dulcineia Moura; Pedro Pinto, from Chega; Carlos Guimarães Pinto, from the Liberal Initiative; Paulo Núncio from CDS-PP and Alfredo Maia, from PCP. The visit will constitute a “very significant moment in the relationship of close cooperation and deep friendship between Portugal and Angola“, can be read in a use published on the Presidency website.
At an international level, the presence of 13 heads of State and Government has been confirmed, including from the PALOP, such as the presidents of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and the former presidents of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano and Filipe Nyusi. Also participating are leaders and special envoys from African, Asian and Gulf countries, such as India, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Among those confirmed to attend the event are representatives from the 21 Angolan provinces and around 350 national and foreign journalists. “CCelebrating 50 years of Independence is a unique event“, declared the Minister of State and Chief of Staff of the President, Adão de Almeida this Monday, in anticipation of the day before the ceremony. The objective is to show the “national unity of a people who freed themselves from colonialism, achieved peace and work hard for the development of the country. Let’s gocelebrate the diversity, culture and joy of the Angolan people, reflecting the plurality of regions, ethnicities and cultural expressions”, he added.
Marcelo highlights “unique moment” in the bilateral relationship
In Luanda, Marcelo This Monday he already had a brief meeting with his Angolan counterpart at the Presidential Palace and a meeting with the Portuguese at the residence of the Portuguese ambassador. On his last visit to the country as President of the Republic, he highlighted the “unique moment” in the bilateral relationship and anticipated a “promising future for both peoples”.
“There are always irritants, but we realized that what unites us is much more important than what divides us. The big winners have been the Portuguese and Angolans who persisted and won“, he maintained.
In the same vein, Paulo Rangel considered that the relationship between the two countries is commendable, having been able to overcome a “phase which could be highly traumatic.” “If we look at countries that had, in their centuries, in their times, colonial dominions and we look at the relationships of these countries – former colonizers and former colonies – Portugal is a paradigmatic example of how it is possible to overcome the difficult knots in history“, he advocated.
Reflect on the past, project the future
After 50 years, the great challenge facing Angola is common to other former colonies and has to do with the risks ofthese countries if they “modernize too quickly”, tells Expresso Maria de Lurdes Macedo, the researcher and professor at Universidade Lusófona. “These new nations were built based on a nation-state model, a model imported from western modernity. However, the cultural traditions of these peoples are very diverse cultural traditions of ours. HThere is enormous pressure here for these nations to do in 50 years what we did in 250“, note to teacher.
For Lurdes Macedo, this causes “great contradictions” within these societies, which are at the same time “traditional” and “modern”, which “preserve and feel the need to preserve their cultural identities, in accordance with their traditions, but which at the same time also need and want to modernize.”This great tension and conflict between tradition and modernity and this pressure for modernization and development has been one of the biggest challenges facing these nation projects. What is development in these countries? It has to be an exact copy of our progress model. Wouldn’t it make sense for these countries to have their own development model?” he asks.
The researcher notes that the remaining challenges facing the issue of democracy, participation, development, hope, improvement of development indicators human, all arise after this “central problem”.
But the event also brings challenges for Portugal, according to Lurdes Macedo. 50 years of Angola’s independence deserve a “great reflection” and national “debate” to prevent “stereotypes”, “prejudices” and “stigma” that can cause friction with the PALOP. “You just need to look at the electoral results we have had to realize that it is important to prevent this type of of discourse, effectively, will bring friction in the relations between Portugal and Angola”, he warns.
The presence of PR and MNE in Luanda is important from a symbolic and diplomatic point of view, but Portugal must take advantage of 50 years of African independence to make a more “in-depth” and “courageous” reflection, which includes several voices and to disturb the story, if necessary. “Just like that we may have our eyes set on the future with a view to a relationship that is truly constructive with these countries and these people. AND It is essential that we take advantage of this moment and from now on to make a debate and a more serious reflection on what unites us, not only from the point of view of history and the past, but of what we are future projects“, insists Lurdes Macedo.