Brenda Stardom [ ANGOLAN FEARS in a Portuguese Cafe ]

Archives

July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002

Add to Technorati Favorites

Last 15 Articles

8-4-2003 - ANGOLAN FEARS in a Portuguese Cafe

9:28am GMT

I just scrapped an hours worth of writing as I stumbled on something that changed my mind about this report. I spent a few hours yesterday at the Dona Rosa Café in deep conversation with a woman who just arrived here from Angola. We were already talking as usual about the war when she joined us at our table.

Believe it or not, I was the first American she's ever met. She was bursting with curiosity and questions which I answered by rote, having repeated the same story so many times. Then I asked her straight out what she thought about the war and Bush. She made a sound of derision and said, "Americans will never know war, nor understand the horrors of this one." Everyone agreed with that, but as an Angolan, she knew war more than anyone, as Angola has been warring forever it seems. She said there was conflict between the people and the government over Iraq, just like here and most of the so-called coalition countries.

I went searching for information on what she had told me and I found it, but I also found something else I didn't know and it's starting to put a lot of pieces of this puzzle together. There was a whole lot of talk going on about the arm-twisting the Americans gave the countries that joined the coalition, another word I'm beginning to despise. It almost made the Prime Minister's actions make sense. I don't think he has any choice but to kiss-ass the Americans. Same with the Angolans being coereced into becoming part of this group of 40some countries. Weird, they were on the list, off the list for 4 days and then back. That's cause for a lot of hmm'ing.

Going back in time, 1974 wow is this a parallel of events or what? This was In June, two months after the military overthrow the fascist regime. "Government censorship reimposed. Left-wing editor Luis Saidanha Sanches arrested for advocating desertion of Portuguese troops in Africa. Armed forces assume full control of state-run radio and TV (June 19). Cabinet (including SP and CP) issues decree making it illegal to incite military disobedience, strikes, unauthorized demonstrations, or to offend the president, members of the Council of State, or the cabinet. SP leader and foreign minister, Mario Soares, attends NATO conference in Ottawa. Nixon visits Spinola in the Azores."

It smacks of today, only it's the American government imposing censorship, and yes, it was more extreme here, but it's also a peek of the possible future in the states, what with the Patriot Acts and TIA. The part that made me do a doubletake was Nixon visiting the short-termed President Spinola in the Azores.

I still haven't got to the part that made me change the angle of this report. The arm-twisting. Check this out, from March of 1975. " Junta bans two left and one rightist party from upcoming election (March 18). U.S. embassy, Ford, Kissinger all make threats against Portugal. Five NATO countries warn Portuguese President da Costa Gomes against "making Portugal a communist country."

The information on that year ends with this. "U.S. imperialism steps up campaign against Portugal. Ford attacks "swing to communism" at NATO meeting, then visits Franco in Spain. West Germany offers "aid" to Portugal if it keeps "democracy." Portuguese junta arrests hundreds of members of Maoist MRPP. " Obviously the attacks and aid worked, as it never became a communist country. Angola remains communist and is supported by the Bush Administration.

This article also speaks of the colonial wars raging in the Portuguese colony Angola. It was in 1975 Angola was cut loose from Portugal, but the troops stayed 3 years. Nambai, the Angolan visitor was somber and shaken as she said there were fears Bush might come after Angola. I don't know any Angolan history, but when I pressed as to why, she said, 'for the oil and diamonds'. That got me searching again. BINGO:

This is from 2002. "BUSH CONTINUES SUPPORT OF ANGOLA’S COMMUNIST KLEPTOCRAT KILLERS"

"Angola is heavily in debt. Its oil, which accounts for almost 90% of the government’s income, is pumped by western companies and sold mainly in the West. America would have by far the most influence, if it chose to wield it. Not only is it Angola’s biggest trading partner; it is also the source of most of its sophisticated military technology. Without surveillance equipment from America and its ally, Israel, the Angolan army could probably not have tracked down and killed Mr Savimbi. …

"The Americans ditched Mr Savimbi, and started coddling Mr dos Santos, chiefly because huge deposits of oil had been found off the Angolan coast. In the past ten years or so, America has put little or no pressure on the dos Santos regime to become less crooked or despotic."

This was once thought of guerilla leader and fighter against the communists. "Like the Afghan mujihadin, Jonas Savimbi had become an inconvenience. His death was cheered in Washington, Luanda and Havana, proving that oil makes strange allies, and is certainly thicker than blood. As Kissinger rightly observed on another occasion, it's far more dangerous being America's ally than its enemy."

Ronald Reagan once called Savimbi "an anti-communist freedom fighter, deserving of American support, welcoming him to the White House and providing substantial military assistance, channeled through Zaire.

So, the Americans climb in bed with the communist President dos Santos, even having him to Washington this year, all over that three letter word, Oil. Laura, who is Portuguese spent her childhood in Angola and both she and Nambai told of how it just bubbles up out of the ground, and that the counntry is rich in everything, petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite and uranium. and it would be more of a coup for Bush than Iraq.

Very interesting. "As expectations of political change increase in Angola, so will the demand for resources with which to effect change. With 4.1 million internally displaced persons, and parts of the country inaccessible, the humanitarian needs are as great as in any country in the world. Moreover, organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Global Witness will continue to monitor closely investments in the oil sector and developments in the diamond sector."

We talked about what the Americans could possibly want from Portugal and it was mentioned that drilling rights had been recently given to Germany and Britian just off the coast of Algarve. Ohboy that pissed the pack. I'm not happy right now, either, because I had read of this some months back and it's not on Google now, and AllTheWeb provided an article that spoke of bids being taken for drilling 'far offshore', not that they had already been granted. I did read that, I swear. Nah, there's nothing here for them, unlike Angola.

This was a jump around article, certainly not what was planned, but certain points were made. Portuguese, Angolans oppose the war, hate Bush, still long for Cleenton and there's fear that Angola may be on Bush's want list. Who knows? It was an afternoon of three chicks from entirely different backgrounds and countries agreeing on and fearing the same things. In synch, we all said, "war is hell."

A final search found Bush's 'to do' list and yep, Angola is listed, but in the column of low priority. Still, it's there giving Nambai's fears validity.

"So, can we steal their oil? Damned right!."
--William Tong

Brenda Stardom
Portugal