On social media, appeals circulated this week for a demonstration against electoral fraud at the Santa Ana cemetery, which, however, did not take place, with several people having been arrested, as Lusa found at the place, which was almost deserted for around 1 pm, with the exception of police vehicles and personnel.
Pacheco Manuel, 32, went to the cemetery after learning about the initiative on social media: "As I couldn't remain indifferent to what is happening in the country, I decided to take a walk to see how things are going and I didn't like it what I saw. People's freedom is being violated," he said.
"I don't know what is happening with the leaders of our country, for a citizen to be present in a public place, he is immediately arrested. We are here to show discontent with our country and with the governance of the MPLA", he criticized.
The citizen stressed that "nobody created disorder, nobody started aggression, nobody destroyed public goods" and that people were there "peacefully".
"The country is at peace, there is no reason for the security forces to intimidate people, beat, arrest", he stressed, appealing to the police: "When people want to demonstrate, let them demonstrate, nobody is stealing anything from anyone, we are here to show our discontent with the governance of the country".
"I know that many are unhappy, but they don't stop to give an interview, to speak because they are afraid of being arrested for nothing. He has not committed anything and is going to prison", he was indignant.
As for João Lourenço, who takes office on Thursday, after some disputed elections, the result of which was not recognized by the opposition, he said he could not congratulate him. Reason? "Because he's not my president."
"I don't care about tomorrow at all, the people are unhappy, I just have to look at people's faces, there is sadness on the faces of the population, there is no joy. Do you see joy?", asked Pacheco Manuel, saying that the next five years "will be of suffering, it's always the same thing".
"All we have to do is ask God to give us the breath of life every day, sleep and wake up. The rest of these rulers can only be expected in reincarnation", he said.
Benvinda Bango, who was fearful at first because she had witnessed the arrest of other people, also ended up showing her dissatisfaction.
"We came here due to the electoral situation, I believe that the whole world is seeing what happened here in Angola and it is a real fraud. Unfortunately, the MPLA, since 1992, was a macabre government, but the youth woke up, UNITA and the ACJ [Adalberto da Costa Júnior, leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola] came to demonstrate how the MPLA has acted in the elections," she said.
Benvinda says "cry for the country", because she is a mother and doesn't see a future in Angola.
"It is regrettable to see a President who does not sympathize with the pain of his people. If he truly won, how is he going to put armored vehicles on the street? How is a President going to fight his own people, that makes no sense, it just shows that he knows who didn't win, who knows he cheated", she vented, challenging the National Electoral Commission to show the minutes that prove the victory of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola.
She questioned, on the other hand, the reason for the arrests: "I arrived here at 12:30 and looked for the staff, because nobody knows each other here, when I get out, I see a group of young people already in the police car. I stopped to look, but a policeman intimidated I asked myself what I was doing there. I just don't have the breath for that kind of people and so I didn't even speak to them and came here", she told Lusa.
"I believe that they did absolutely nothing. Here in Angola, you don't need to do anything, it's enough for the Laurentian government to decide that they [the police] do. I sincerely pity these policemen, they are also parents, they are also children, they are also family members, that what they are doing is not done at all", she added.
Guilherme Luciano also went to the cemetery to join the demonstration.
"Many people are unhappy with President Joao Lourenço", he criticized. "He is not a President of Angola, he is a president of the MPLA", said the young man, who traveled from Huíla to denounce "the theft of votes and fraud" and "give strength to activists".
"Since we arrived, I have seen young people arrested for reasons that are not even known, just because they came", he denounced, regretting that the demonstration did not take place, despite not having violent intentions.
At the end of these statements, the police approached the location where Lusa was, ordered the image operator to stop filming and detained the three people who had been interviewed.
Several people were also detained as they passed the cemetery, next to one of the main access avenues to Luanda and who, unprepared, tried to flee along the road, being chased by the police, running the risk of being run over.
Complaints also reached Lusa that report the arrest of activists in their homes, namely Zola Alvaro, from the Mudei Civic Movement, and Alexandre Simão Bolívar, from the Contestant Civil Society.
Despite being questioned about the reason for these arrests, the police have not provided any clarifications so far.
