Angola after dos Santos: An anthology on continuity and change

As Angola celebrates its 50th anniversary as an independent nation, it is timely to provide an assessment of the state of political, social, and economic affairs. Just over half of the life of the independent state was dominated by a civil war that contested the power of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola; since its military victory in 2002, the MPLA has, in common with other ruling parties on the continent, consolidated its power to become a hegemonic power within a nominal multiparty system. 

Following the course set by the founding father Agostinho Neto (1975–79), José Eduardo dos Santos stayed in power for 38 years, through war and peace. The focus of this anthology is on the regime of the country’s third MPLA president, João Lourenço, elected in 2017, re-elected in 2022, and due to end his term in 2027. Initial hopes that Lourenço might become a transformational leader and implement deep structural reforms by distancing himself systematically from his predecessor, seem to have been aborted after Lourenço obtained full control of the party and the security institutions. This volume analyses patterns of continuity as well as the occurrence of change in Angola after dos Santos.

Most of the authors belong to a research team of Angolan and Norwegian social scientists who have worked together for four years in a research programme financed by the Norwegian Embassy in Angola, joined by a few international scholars. The anthology’s 19 chapters explore a range of issues grouped into four main topics: the economy, the rural and urban world, governance and accountability, and the new political regime. 

The authors offer up-to date insights on important developments in Angola after the end of the dos Santos regime. This book fills a scholarly and empirical vacuum in the understanding of recent developments in Angola. 

ISBN 978-82-8062-859-6 (PDF)