“This march will have the purpose of protesting against the lack of water in schools, the lack of basic sanitation, the lack of bathrooms, teaching materials and even the lack of teachers,” said the provincial secretary of the Angolan Students Movement (MEA), Estória Augusto António.
Speaking to Lusa, the student said that these shortcomings are present in most schools in the capital: “These are the weaknesses that we see in almost all public schools in Luanda.”
The march against the lack of conditions in Luanda's schools is an initiative of the MEA provincial secretariat, and the gathering is scheduled for Largo do Mercado de São Paulo, ending at Largo do 1º de Maio.
Estória Augusto António said that the march was communicated to the Provincial Government of Luanda (GPL) and the Provincial Command of the National Police, saying that other activities were scheduled in the same perimeter to, allegedly, make the protest unfeasible.
“We are sure that our activity will take place, although it may be made unfeasible by the JMPLA (youth wing of the MPLA), which also has an activity in the same place (…), there is also another activity alluding to Peace Day, but this is to provoke fights, but we will react pedagogically”, said the head of the MEA.
Estória António accused the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) of allegedly “always trying to make unviable the activities that they consider to be an affront [to the established power]”, highlighting that public demonstrations are legally safeguarded.
“This country is ours, we also have rights, we are just demanding what is enshrined in the Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education, which they themselves approved. Therefore, what is enshrined in the law must be complied with, the country belongs to all of us (...) and we have the right to demand what is due to us”, he added.
The association leader guaranteed that the MEA “will not allow insults”, because the authorities, namely the GPL and the national police, have already been informed: “Our activity will take place this Saturday and we will not respond to insults, as has happened previously”, he concluded.
Luanda is also due to host, on Saturday, 26 April, a march commemorating 23 years of peace, called by the Council of Christian Churches in Angola (CICA) and a youth consultation meeting scheduled for the Belas Conference Centre.
