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Politics

Portugal-Angola relationship has entered a phase of maturity, says ambassador

The Portuguese ambassador in Luanda considers that the Portugal-Angola relationship is today guided by "maturity", after overcoming the "irritants" and with the passage of time easing the recent "turbulence" between the two countries.

: Ampe Rogério/Lusa
Ampe Rogério/Lusa  

In an interview with Lusa, Francisco Alegre Duarte, ambassador of Portugal in Angola, considers that "relationships today are excellent, without irritating calls, guided by equality, fraternity and, above all, maturity", stressed the diplomat, acknowledging that the passage of time "helped".

"We had a colonial war, there was a revolution in Portugal, there was a turbulent decolonization, there was a civil war and great changes in Angola, namely in demographic terms, which also has political repercussions", he stressed, noting that the average age of the Angolan population is 17 years old, which means that most Angolans were born after the civil war (which ended in 2002) and independence, won in 1975.

"I do not suffer from colonial or neo-colonial complexes. I think it is time for us to have a mature and demanding relationship and that time has now come", emphasized the diplomat, underlining that the relations "are excellent" and "accomplices", as evidenced by the relationship between the two Presidents, João Lourenço, and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who was in Angola twice last year.

For Francisco Alegre Duarte, the "said turbulence made it possible to build a relationship between equals" who had, in a way, "a joint liberation".

"I would very much like us to jointly mark the 25th of April" which is about to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, in 2024, as is the case with Angola, which celebrates its 50 years as an independent country in 2025.

"This is all connected", he comments, pointing out that the approximation of Portugal to Angola is not limited to the economic plan, extending to the arts and culture, with emphasis on artists such as the comedian Gilmário Vemba or musicians such as Matias Damásio, Paulo Flores, Yuri da Cunha who enjoy great popularity in both countries

"There is a huge amount of opportunities here and the State cannot do everything", he continued, encouraging the big Portuguese clubs to create academies and Angola and universities to adopt a "more aggressive" role with regard, for example, to attract students.

Although the number of emigrants has been decreasing since 2015, Angola continues to attract Portuguese. According to the latest report by the Emigration Observatory, the African country was among the top 10 favorite destinations - the only non-European - with currently more than 127,000 Portuguese registered in Angola (of which 60 percent have dual nationality).

An attraction that is justified, according to Francisco Alegre Duarte, due to the "dense relationship" and family connections with Portugal, as well as the history, language and economic relations.

"It's a different community than the one we have in South Africa, Venezuela or Brazil, it's very close, very connected by family ties to Angolan society and that prefers to base its presence on discretion", describes the ambassador, pointing out among his priorities the recognition of the "contribution that (the Portuguese) make to the Angolan economy and society".

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