Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan politician and nationalist Eduardo Kuangana says the country needs real reconciliation and regrets that Angola’s 50th anniversary of independence is not being celebrated with greater dignity and without hunger.
Speaking about Angola’s journey during its 50th anniversary of independence, which will be celebrated on November 11, 2025, the founding leader of the Social Renewal Party (PRS, opposition), in November 1990, lamented the country’s current social and economic degradation, calling for improvements.
“We expected improvements, but we haven’t seen them yet,” he said, adding that independence should be celebrated with greater dignity. Independence “should be celebrated with greater dignity from the people (…), but nothing has changed.
In the past, we said that time was short, let’s wait, but today we’ve had 50 years [of independence] and the situation remains the same,” said the 66-year-old politician. “People continue to complain about the water supply problem and high prices.
It will take some time, but those born 50 years ago already have grandchildren and the situation remains the same,” Eduardo Kuangana told Lusa.
The politician, who was a member of the National Assembly (parliament) for the PRS for many years and who left active political life in 2017, praised the ideals that contributed to Angola’s liberation struggle, noting, however, that there are “minimal issues” that have not yet been resolved in half a century of independence.
He insisted that hunger, lack of water, electricity and sanitation constitute “minimal issues” that the Government of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA, in power since 1975) “has not yet resolved”.
“We’ll see what happens in the next 50 years. What we see is that there are no improvements,” he lamented. Eduardo Kuangana was one of the recipients of the “Peace and Development” medal on April 4, 2025 (Peace and National Reconciliation Day in Angola), as part of the celebrations for Angola’s 50th anniversary of independence.
The nationalist applauded the Angolan head of state’s gesture, considering that the decoration is recognition of his work, arguing, however, that decorations should be associated with improving the living conditions of the population.
“The medal is welcome, but the problem is changing what comes behind it. Now we just award medals and there are no improvements in people’s lives. This is not of interest to us,” he argued.
“When there are no improvements, it’s as if those who fought [for independence] had done nothing,” he said. The PRS, an Angolan party with strong branches in the east of the country, once again praised the role and ideals of the liberation movements (MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA) in securing Angola’s independence, noting that their actions should have an impact on the living conditions of the population, which continues to complain about the same problems.
“(For) the ideals, yes, independence was worth it, so that we wouldn’t be colonized to this day (…) but the lives of the population remain the same,” he lamented. As part of the celebrations for 23 years of peace and reconciliation, marked on April 4, Eduardo Kuangana even considered that Angola lacks “real, uncomplaining reconciliation.”
“People continue to see the ups and downs, they continue to complain, so what we wanted was to have real reconciliation, not complaints. If there are complaints, it’s because things aren’t going well; yes, there’s a lack of real reconciliation,” he concluded.
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