The Rare Interview of Angola's President: Frivolity or Fraudulence?

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On the 3rd of June, José Eduardo dos Santos (president of Angola) gave the first interview (in 22 years) to a Portuguese TV Network, SIC - if you speak the language, the interview is available here.

The president demanded a specific journalist (Henrique Cymerman) and chose to "reveal" Angola's good relationship with Israel - at diplomatic, military and security levels.
Henrique Cymerman looked like a marionette: his questions were shallow, his smiles were fake and, basically, he (a highly respected journalist) seemed to be making a fool of himself - it was like he was making sure he'd show the world he was forced to participate in that sham.

Since most of Portugal doesn't even know about the relationship between Israel and Angola, why did President dos Santos feel the need to mention it? We can only assume he was sending a message to someone...but whom to? Whoever that person is; we are not sure the subliminal message sent by a corrosively corrupt politician will affect the individual's/entity's goals.

The Angolan president also referred to his good business relations with Brazil (whose president, Dilma Roussef, made most of us laugh last year when she stated that Angola was "the bastion of the democratic consolidation") and Portugal (whose political leadership and elite are selling off the country to the dos Santos Family, and cronies, without questioning the true origin of the funds). When asked about Angola's relationship with China, he justified China's exploitation with the following explanation: after the independence, in 1975, no one in the West would lend money to Angola because they thought Angola was rich (side note: he forgot to convey it was because the country was aligned with the Soviet Union); therefore, they had to turn to China - the only country willing to lend them the much needed funds. So, now, it is pay up time: Angola is allowing China to exploit Angolans, not because the dos Santos family received financial incentives to do it, but because Angola owes China.

When José Eduardo dos Santos had an opportunity to inform the Portuguese audience about his political work, he read his accomplishments from a piece of paper (strategically placed on a coffee table in front of him)...

Sources, in Angola, say that when you go to the bank to withdraw $200 the bank teller will keep $50 for himself; when you get to the airport to leave the Semba nation, the security guard will say that your little package of habanero chillis can be used to blow up the plane (and thus you have to leave it behind) unless you pay him something; when you want to start a new business you have to pay a cut to the president's family - usually his #2 (Isabel dos Santos, his daughter, the owner-wannabe of Portugal) - or else...

Henrique Cymerman asked José Eduardo dos Santos how he intended to fight corruption. The president answered that his government had created mechanisms to fight embezzlement (perpetrated by civil servants) and embellished his discourse around that theme. Period.

The best part of the interview was when the journalist asked president dos Santos who his political model was: he answered that it was very difficult to name one (N.B: he nearly named himself) because the world was in such a confusion; but if he really had to name one it would have to be "Lula" (as he called the former Brazilian president) because he fought poverty in Brazil, he narrowed the gap between the poor and the rich, he created an inclusive and democratic society and all the things he dreams for Angola...

Eduardo dos Santos was asked to describe his government's ideology:
Answer: a democracy.

He carried on saying that the ruling party was leftist but implemented centre-left policies - then he chuckled (in fact, he did so a lot throughout the interview).

The president of Angola wanted to prove the world that left wing policies are a true success and create prosperity for all. We leave you with a video of a Musseque (WARNING: if you are sensitive to squalor, we advise against visualising it):