"I mainly remember from Angola the time I lived here, because I spent the period of independence here and it is something that I still remember today with great clarity", she said, in an interview with Televisão Pública de Angola (TPA).
At that time, she recalls, they were in "Luanda, in a city under siege", where there were "South African troops, with mercenaries and other parties wanting to take Luanda to avoid the proclamation of independence", it was "a very, very tense period indeed because in the city you can hear the booming of the cannons that were in fact very close by (...)".
Francisca Van-Duném also said that "despite the siege there was an atmosphere of exaltation, an atmosphere of great joy", remembering that they went to "sweep the streets" so that the "city would be in good condition on the big day", Independence Day.
When independence was proclaimed, she said that she heard it on the radio and then went to bed and slept. "Independence was proclaimed, I heard it on the radio, I heard the President proclaiming independence and then I lay down in bed, slept and only woke up I think at 10 am the next day", she said, amidst laughter.
In the interview with TPA, Francisca Van-Duném also spoke about the Angolan diaspora. "I think a diaspora is a great wealth", she pointed out, adding that any of the people who belong to the Angolan diaspora "will always be available to collaborate with the progress and development of the country".
"I think this diaspora is a huge asset," she reaffirmed.
Another topic highlighted in the interview was corruption. In this area, Van-Duném considered that "all moments are opportune moments to combat corruption".
"Corruption is a crime and as such must be fought," she said.
"We cannot be prejudiced when it comes to fighting corruption, we must fight it and corruption must be fought with legal means, just like the rest of crimes", she added, speaking to TPA.
She also said it was necessary to train "people specifically to work in this type of process", highlighting that one cannot "think that knowing criminal investigation means being able to investigate a corruption case".
Born in Luanda in 1955, Van-Duném graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in 1977. She was Minister of Justice in Portugal, and since 1979 she has been a judge at the Public Ministry.
