Africa-Press – Angola. Angolans have just witnessed the passing of another anniversary of the Day of Peace and National Reconciliation, a feat achieved at the end of 27 years of a fratricidal war that left thousands dead, maimed and refugees and destroyed entire villages and infrastructures.
For Angolan youth, the silence of the guns, which has lasted for more than two decades, with remarkable levels of stability as a result of the effective peace achieved since April 4, 2002, has made their expectations for training and employment grow exponentially..
It is generally understood that living in an environment without war, without the threat of military incursions that lead to the loss of human life and the destruction of property, constitutes the first great gain of peace.
Among the youth, the perception is emerging that the gains in stability are visible, although recognizing that the 22 years of effective peace still represent a hybrid balance of advances and setbacks.
Angola has been ravaged by an armed conflict lasting almost three decades. But, on April 4, 2002, the war formally came to an end through an agreement signed between the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and the Military Forces of UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola), in Luena, the capital from the province of Moxico.
After this phase, the path forward was to remake life in conditions completely different from those of times of conflict, with the challenge of building a culture of peace and developing a new mentality.
This new scenario now represents a great opportunity for the transformation of society with a view to improving the living conditions of the population, especially in terms of health and education.
For youth, the biggest focus has always been training and employment, imposing strong pressure on the National Education System (SNE), which, in turn, reacted with large steps towards its expansion.
As a consequence, the public school network currently has 18 thousand 270 schools, with a total of 167 thousand 32 classrooms, which represents an increase of more than 69 thousand 348 new classrooms, which did not exist before.
According to official data, the SNE also has 181,624 teachers, expected to increase in the coming years to meet the main objective of contributing to the development of human capabilities, whether cognitive, physical or even intellectual.
The increase in classrooms allowed more than three million 120 thousand students to enroll, of which 13 million 700 thousand in the current academic year, rising from the 10 million 600 thousand enrolled in 2017.
The investment in the education sector aims to guarantee the transmission of ethical and moral values that provide the individual with the means to seek a more appropriate lifestyle within the norms of the society in which they operate, which can help maintain peace.
Some young people contacted recognize that, generally, it is easier to count what has not been or is about to be done, without a correct assessment and appreciation of what has already been done and, not infrequently, destroyed by the same people who complain about the scarcity. certain social environments.
“If we calculate how much has been damaged, over these 22 years of peace, with social equipment and related materials, there is no doubt that complaints about what was missing or missing end up very relativized”, they admitted.
João Armindo, 37 years old, civil servant and studying International Relations, stressed that it must be recognized that, in many cases, “we have not known how to preserve a large part of the achievements and achievements made with peace, a reality that does not need to be here quantified with the ton of cases of vandalism of electrical cables and other public assets, among other cases”.
And all gestures, he said, carried out by the Executive, its partners and through initiatives by other private entities, in the name of Angola’s growth and development, “must always be valued”.
He said that more than claiming what is missing, “we need to learn to value what we have, what we do and materialize to satisfy the needs of the population”.
Peacekeeping
For the general secretary of the Christian Churches in Angola (CICA), Deolinda Teca, it is necessary for the Angolan people to preserve the peace achieved, because without it no one is happy and the Nation cannot develop.
He recommended that everyone read biblical passages, stressing that the word (of God) says “love one another as Christ loved you”, so that everyone lives in peace and harmony.
The nun appealed to Angolans for continuous dialogue between political parties and society in general, which is essential for maintaining the peace achieved with much sacrifice.
He recalled that, in 2019, an Inter-Ecclesiastical Commission was formed to mediate peace in the Great Lakes, so the call for peace is the responsibility of the churches.
He took the opportunity to urge the entire society, particularly youth, to strive for peace and national reconciliation and leave the waves of vandalism recently installed within communities.
Advances
Manuela Alfredo, a Law student, said Angola’s advances in achieving peace were notable, with emphasis on the materialization of a new Constitution for Angola, the free movement of people and goods and the creation of the Reconciliation Commission in Memory of Victims of Political Conflicts (CIVICOP).
For Domingos Filipe, an unemployed young man, the past was painful, full of anguish and suffering.
“Today, the collective commitment of the entire Nation is to do everything to avoid and definitively prevent the return of that dark and tenebrous cloud that fell over Angola and remained for almost three decades,” he said.
He recognized that, for 22 years, the country has benefited from the gains of peace in all areas of political, economic and social life.
During this period, he said, the national reconstruction of destroyed infrastructures began, important investments were made in road and railway communication routes, in ports and airports, in the construction of housing, in educational establishments and hospital units of different categories.
Honorato Domingos, 39 years old, university professor, stressed that the gains of peace are visible, despite some “less good” situations that society is still going through.
He began by enumerating the gains in deepening democracy, freedoms and guarantees for citizens and greater openness to the world.
“We have made significant progress in combating corruption and improving the business environment,” he emphasized.
For his part, Francisco Valadares defended the need to respect sovereign bodies and preserve the peace conquered and achieved with great sacrifices from all Angolans.
“Angolans want to see these achievements preserved and consolidated, which is only possible if we are able to preserve and consolidate the second greatest achievement after our Independence, Peace and National Reconciliation”, he concluded.
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