Clara Onofre

By being a member o f the GV team, i am hoping to show the reality of this country, with the good and the bad things…

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Latest posts by Clara Onofre

Angola: Pre-Election Media Coverage Undermines Political Process

  28 August 2012

At the end of this month, Angolans go to the polls. Expectations are high but the feeling on the streets is calm and festive. The party in power MPLA increases the number of openings of public works and promises to captivate voters. National bloggers, always attentive, report what is happening behind the scenes.

Angola: Police Represses Peaceful March in Cazenga

  9 December 2011

In 2011 Angolan people has been persistent in demonstrating discontent against the reality lived in the country. In the beginning of December, in Cazenga‘s neighborhood in Luanda, protestors were peacefully marching and chanting [video], when police forces decided to violently break the demonstration.

Angola: The Hot Embers of a Repressed Protest

  16 September 2011

Recent events have shaken Angolan society and the state. After a large police response to the demonstration against the 32 year-long government of José Eduardo dos Santos on September 3, at least 18 were "unjustly convicted" and sentenced to between 45 days and 3 months in prison.

Angola: Preemptive Maneuver Cancels “Revolution”

  17 March 2011

A week after the date of the revolution supposed to "dethrone" Angolan Government, the situation in the country appears calm. Preemptive manoeuvre actions of the State contributed greatly to this: pro-MPLA rallies were convened, troops were put at the ready, and protesters were silenced.

Angola: Calls for a Revolution

  5 March 2011

In the spirit of protest that has swept across North Africa and the Middle East, it appears that Angolan people have found some inspiration. A protest against the government in power for 32 years has been set for March 7th. Bloggers and government officials react.

Angola: Journalist Murdered: Repression or urban violence?

  21 October 2010

On the 5th of September, journalist Albert Graves Chakussanga lost his life at the hands of strangers who in cold blood shot him down inside his house, in the neighbourhood of Viana in Luanda. According to Reporters without Borders, Chukassanga was killed from behind with a gun equipped with a silencer....

Angola: “Alambamento” and Marriage Practices

  29 August 2010

In Angola, there is quite strong cultural tradition of the asking of the hand of bride in marriage, called alambamento. Considered by some more important that the civil or christian marriage, the alambamento consists of a series of rituals, like the delivery of a letter, material goods and money.

Angola: Coins Gleaming Again

  24 July 2010

Last May the National Bank of Angola brought into circulation kwanza coins again. In a country where the population uses US Dollars along with Kwanza in the daily life, people are getting used to a new practice and discussing its purpose.

Angola: Once Upon a Time in Roque Santeiro

  29 June 2010

The development experienced by Luanda holds one of the most frequented commercial spaces in the city. The Roque Santeiro Market, that generates thousands of dollars a day, to account, is about to close its “doors” to reopen in a more dignified and modern area, in Panguila.

Angola: The high cost of living in Luanda

  9 November 2009

The high cost of living in the country is paradoxical: Angola's high development indicators are not reflected in the finances of the majority of Angola's citizens and do not translate to quality of life for those less economically well off.

Angola: New highway code in action

  26 June 2009

Discussions around the changes brought by the new Angolan highway code have been taking place on the blogosphere and divided society. On one hand, the new code is seen as good because it will educate careless drivers, but some argue that the legislation contains costs that not everyone is able to meet.

Angola: Pope is greeted by the largest crowd of his African tour

  22 March 2009

The climax of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Angola was an open-air mass this Sunday, when nearly million people from various Angolan provinces and other African countries came to Luanda to hear the mass in Cimangola, on the outskirts of Luanda. Bloggers report on the Pope's remarks during his first pilgrimage to Africa, and also on the facelift Angola was given to receive Benedict XVI.

Angola: Celebrating Angolan Women's Day with poetry

  17 March 2009

March is a month of double celebration for Angolan woman: apart from International Woman's Day, Angolan Woman's Day is celebrated on March 2nd because of the bravery of four women who fought for Angola's Independence. Bloggers celebrate by publishing poems and paying homage to women who suffer, love and fight with a large smile on their lips and bold eyes.

Angola: Presidential elections postponed?

  21 February 2009

As of the end of February 2009, there is still no schedule for the presidential elections in Angola, which were due this year. The main priority for the MPLA, the party in power, is to approve a new constitution for the country. Bloggers speculate whether this means that the much awaited elections for a new president, the first since 1992, will be postponed.