Joe Biden completed the last stage of his visit to Luanda this Tuesday at the National Slavery Museum, giving a speech to dozens of individuals, including members of the government, leaders of opposition parties, businesspeople and leaders of associations, bankers and activists.
The speech focused on the historical connection between the two countries, marked by slavery, and on the millions of dollars that the US has already invested and is prepared to invest in Africa and Angola.
In good spirits, despite the persistent rain that greyed the views of Mussulo Island and democratically soaked individuals and journalists, Biden joked, asked for applause and insisted on the North American commitment to Africa, going back to the past to remember the forced march of many men and women born free in Angola, taken as slaves to America and baptized in a foreign faith against their will, in the same building that now houses the museum and that previously served as a chapel.
"Cruel, brutal, dehumanizing," Biden said of the nation's origins, stressing that from the civil war to the human rights movement, the history of the United States has been marked by racial injustice.
The US President stressed that he wanted to honor the connection between two peoples and pay tribute to generations of Angolans and American families, stressing that it is the duty of great nations to confront history, which is why he chose that place to speak.
Regarding the current relationship with Angola, he said that it has evolved from distant to "stronger than ever today", ensuring that it was his goal to build a strong partnership with the African continent, bringing the dynamism of the American private sector and the experience of the US government to support the aspirations of African leaders and businesspeople.
"More than 20 government agency directors and members of my cabinet have traveled to Africa, distributing more than 40 billion dollars in investments to date," Biden said, also listing more than 1200 new deals between African and American companies, totaling 52 billion dollars, including investments in solar energy, telecommunications, infrastructure and partnerships with American companies to expand opportunities for tourism.
Regarding Angola, he said that the United States has invested 3 billion dollars during his administration promoting all sectors, from energy to health and sports, with Angola currently being the African League basketball champion after being launched by the North American league.
The US head of state also said that the US supports increasing Africa's presence on the UN Security Council at the United Nations and announced more than 1 billion dollars in humanitarian aid for displaced Africans.
"We know that African leaders or citizens are looking for more than just aid," he continued, stressing that the US wants to expand the relationship in Africa, moving from aid to investment and trade.
Joe Biden considered that no place in Africa is currently more exciting than Angola, particularly due to the Lobito Corridor, whose financing will be the focus of an international conference on Wednesday in Benguela, which he will attend.
Biden also addressed the partnership between Angola and the United States in terms of supporting peace and security in the region, congratulating João Lourenço for his leadership in mediating regional conflicts and for speaking out against Russia's war against Ukraine.
"It is important, it is important that leaders speak out," he stressed.
Biden, who is in the final weeks of his presidency, told those present that they could applaud her or not, and added that he made a point of coming to Angola because he believes that the future lies in this country and in Africa, and the history of Angola and the United States, which were at odds during the Cold War and now work shoulder to shoulder, "is a lesson for the world."
"We just have to remember who we are: We are Angolans, we are Americans," he concluded.
