TAJIRI MKUU WA MATAJIRI
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 1, 2010
- 5,695
- 10,124
Jose Eduardo dos Santos
Angola
02
Vast, oil-rich, and slowly recovering from a brutal
civil war, Angola is shaping up to be Africa’s next
big thing. It has a booming economy, lakes of
petroleum, and a president who is virtually
invisible.
Meet Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Africa’s shyest
autocrat. In power since Jimmy Carter was in the
White House, dos Santos has managed to hold on
so long by making himself a total hermit. He
doesn’t do speeches, give interviews, or appear
on TV. He doesn’t go to summits or conferences,
rarely leaves the capital, and refuses to interact
with other people . On the few occasions he does
go to a rally, he says nothing that hasn’t been
scripted and rehearsed beforehand. His shyness
is so extreme, some know him as “the silent
president.”
The only thing he does openly is corruption . The
opposition accuse him of passing laws to enrich
his own family and clamping down on human
rights whenever his power is challenged. At the
same time, an oil boom is funneling billions into
his pockets, while the vast majority of Angolans
live in crushing poverty.
Angola
02
Vast, oil-rich, and slowly recovering from a brutal
civil war, Angola is shaping up to be Africa’s next
big thing. It has a booming economy, lakes of
petroleum, and a president who is virtually
invisible.
Meet Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Africa’s shyest
autocrat. In power since Jimmy Carter was in the
White House, dos Santos has managed to hold on
so long by making himself a total hermit. He
doesn’t do speeches, give interviews, or appear
on TV. He doesn’t go to summits or conferences,
rarely leaves the capital, and refuses to interact
with other people . On the few occasions he does
go to a rally, he says nothing that hasn’t been
scripted and rehearsed beforehand. His shyness
is so extreme, some know him as “the silent
president.”
The only thing he does openly is corruption . The
opposition accuse him of passing laws to enrich
his own family and clamping down on human
rights whenever his power is challenged. At the
same time, an oil boom is funneling billions into
his pockets, while the vast majority of Angolans
live in crushing poverty.