“The United States has realized the growing importance of China in Angola and it is an attempt to get ahead, to move forward in order to occupy this place that China has been occupying”, declared Agualusa, in an interview with Lusa, in Maputo.
The President of the United States of America (USA) had scheduled a visit to Angola, previously scheduled for the 13th to 15th of October, postponed due to the impacts of the hurricanes that affected several North American regions and which has now been rescheduled for the first week of December .
In an interview with Lusa, the Angolan writer does not foresee a United States-China dispute in Angola, arguing that the country needs to know how to “manage the interests” of both countries.
“If Angola knows how to manage these interests, it can win, because it can take advantage of the best of China and the best of the United States (...) It can try to manage these interests, the fact that China is interested, that the United States is interested, that Europe is interested”, he said.
“You can take advantage if you manage it well and intelligently, you can take advantage of this interest to develop the country and not just to, as has been done until now, deliver resources abroad”, he added.
Given the expectations for Biden's reception, opposition leaders considered that the US President should defend plurality as a democratic value on his visit to Angola, meeting with representatives of civil society and not just the Government.
The United Patriotic Front, which is part of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, UNITA, the Democratic Bloc, PRA JA Political Project - Serving Angola, and a representative of civil society, declared that they hope that the visit “will actually be to Angola in its plurality ” and that Biden preserves “this democratic value” that contributes to ensuring that politics is based on solid foundations.
Agualusa also considered that Biden will “have to listen” to opposition parties and civil society.
“It will have to be done, especially because this opposition has more and more credibility (...) If we look at what has been happening with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), each election losing 10 percent, in the next elections the UNITA would win”, he defended.
“I think everyone realizes that UNITA is close to power and I think the international community has also realized this and is looking at UNITA in a different way”, added Agualusa.
Even if the meeting with opposition parties and civil society materializes, the writer was skeptical about the American interest in defending democracy in Angola.
“I’m not sure whether, whether it’s the United States or Europe, they’re really concerned about human rights or freedom of expression or democracy. The United States, throughout its history, has supported dictatorships and there have been many,” he said.
“There are interests there and I believe that American interests would not be threatened if UNITA won the elections tomorrow”, he concluded.
