The revolutions are spreading to sub-saharan Africa

[Havet]

Angola is next:

http://www.revolucaoangolana.webs.com/

(If you have google chrome, translate the page directly into english, its in portuguese)




The government will try to discourage the Angolan people but this time they are not going to get away with this. Without fail, the anti-government demonstration in Angola will start on March 7, 2011, from Cabinda to Cunene. The main event will take place at the Independence Square in Luanda.
Across Angola, we will march with banners demanding the departure of Ze Du, his ministers and corrupt companions.

"This manifestation is of progressive character, civic and socially comprehensible, and aims to create conditions for a democratically elected government of Angolan citizens with their hands clean of blood and scams, to govern Angola for all Angolans, whatever their strains ".


ANGOLA

The people of Angola simply says enough is enough of the dictator regime of President José Eduardo dos Santos, in power for 32 years.

The Angolans are tired of extreme poverty, culture of fear and intimidation, poverty, autocracy and other evils introduced by José Eduardo dos Santos.

Our country is known for its wealth of natural resources and is ranked as the largest export of petroleum in Africa, but the Angolan people live on less than U.S. $ 1 per day and with a government that promotes a culture of perpetuating poverty extreme.

We condemn and denounce the cancellation of our constitutional and democratic right to elect a President of our choice in four years.

We want to take control of our lives, our country and our resources, but we want to first remove the dictatorial regime of Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

In that website, they show a picture of the people of Tunisia protesting, with a subtitle that reads:

"The Voice Of The People: The protest of the Tunisian people that resulted in the withdrawal of the president Ben Ali.

-------------------------------

It appears we live in amazing times, we are witnessing the potential social empowerment of areas where dictatorships have lasted for decades. Sure, they want to implement representative democracy and not your brand of radical communism, but its a start for the millions of people all across these countries.

[Rafiq]

Are these like... A parallel with Europes revolutions in the 1800's?

[Havet]

Are these like... A parallel with Europes revolutions in the 1800's?

Perhaps, but add the internet into it as well

Already in Angola the government has partially cut the internet (http://club-k.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7004:pca-da-angola-telecom-forcado-a-dizer-que-corte-da-internet-deveu-se-a-falha-tecnica&catid=2:sociedade&Itemid=174)

[RGacky3]

This is really incredible, its amazing how fast things happen, and how quickly things spread.

[Toppler]

This rocks.

[Lt. Ferret]

pro-this.

[Bardo]

Looks like the Islamo-Communist caliphate apocalypse is upon us

[PottersvilleUSA]

This rocks.

It does rock. The revolutions even seem to be spreading to Madison, Wisconsin in the US. That's more of a long shot than sub-saharan Africa in my view. ;)

[William Howe]

Question: Why is this in Opposing Ideologies if all posters so far support it...?

[Revolution starts with U]

Havet is restricted.

[hatzel]

Question: Why is this in Opposing Ideologies if all posters so far support it...?


Havet is restricted.

Also the OIers aren't actually the bunch of right-wing pro-dictatorship 'who cares about Africans?!' types those who don't frequent this section seem to think they are. In fact, everybody who's posted here, restricted and unrestricted alike, consider themselves socialists, I do believe :)

Oh, and, to top it all off, these revolutions aren't, as Havet said, particularly socialist in nature, so why shouldn't the pro-democrats on here support them?

I've read a couple of papers today, a morning and evening edition, and have heard nothing of all this in Angola. Dominated by Libya, Bahrain and the rumours from China. Do we think this one will make the mainstream news, or is Angola just floating around somewhere in the background? :rolleyes:

[Ele'ill]

This is only the beginning.

[scarletghoul]

Also the OIers aren't actually the bunch of right-wing pro-dictatorship 'who cares about Africans?!' types those who don't frequent this section seem to think they are. In fact, everybody who's posted here, restricted and unrestricted alike, consider themselves socialists, I do believe :)

Oh, and, to top it all off, these revolutions aren't, as Havet said, particularly socialist in nature, so why shouldn't the pro-democrats on here support them?

I've read a couple of papers today, a morning and evening edition, and have heard nothing of all this in Angola. Dominated by Libya, Bahrain and the rumours from China. Do we think this one will make the mainstream news, or is Angola just floating around somewhere in the background? :rolleyes:
Things have not taken off in Angola yet so its not surprising. When serious protests start they will of course be reported. The news is even covering Djibouti, a country most people have never heard of.

Also anything that looks like liberal dissent in China is obviously magnified beyond belief in our news.

These uprisings have, over a couple of months, put the spirit of revolution out there for the whole world now. Things will not be the same anywhere; these things have set a precedent. Even if the current uprisings get crushed people around the world are now aware of what is possible. Combining this eruption of revolutionary awakening with the growing mass movements in Latin America, South Asia, even Europe and the US worker demos, we can be sure that the 2010's will turn out to be a remarkable decade around the world. I'm very excited.Went off on a tangent there lol but I was building up to the point that mass unrest in China is already a reality and a coordinated uprising is only a matter of time. but the coverage of it by our media depends on whether its led by liberals or socialists... i have never heard them report on the many socialist dissidents locked up by china

[Havet]

The arrests have begun:

http://www.timeslive.co.za/africa/article953760.ece/Angola-arrests-five-ahead-of-planned-protest


Three reporters of the Novo Jornal daily, their driver and a rapper famed for his inflammatory lyrics against dos Santos were arrested overnight in Luanda, said one of the organisers, Mangovo Ngoyo, speaking by telephone from London.

Following the arrests, organisers pushed back the demonstration to later Monday after initially planning to march at midnight, he added. Ngoyo is a member of the separatist movement in Cabinda, an oil-rich enclave in this former Portuguese colony.

The deputy manager of Novo Jornal, Gustavo Costaun, confirmed the arrests of its employees. Police could not be reached for confirmation.

Local Internet news website Angola 24horas said 15 to 20 people were arrested at May 1 Square in the capital and carted away to a police station.

Since last month rumours have circulated on the Internet of North Africa-style protests scheduled to begin on March 7.

While the organisers of the protest remain largely anonymous, a Facebook page called "The Angolan People's Revolution" had called on Angolans to march at midnight with posters "demanding the departure of Ze Du (Dos Santos' nickname), his ministers and his corrupt friends."

Rapper Brigadeiro Mata Frakus, who recently returned from exile, is hugely popular on the Internet since he released a song criticising dos Santos, in power since 1979.

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

Right now the news is covering the ivory coast unrest much moreso than anything from angola, though didnt they just end a major period of civil unrest?



This rocks.


I agree with your sentiment, but as we watch this from our homes let's not forget that blood is flowing in Libya right now, and it has also been shed in many other countries fighting for freedom in this wave. That should always be kept in mind.

[Bud Struggle]

Question: Why is this in Opposing Ideologies if all posters so far support it...?

Being in OI means that you disagree with some of the basic requirements of RevLeft it doesn't mean that you are pro-barbaric dictators that rape and plunder their countries.

[hatzel]

Being in OI means that you disagree with some of the basic requirements of RevLeft it doesn't mean that you are pro-barbaric dictators that rape and plunder their countries.

In fact, if somebody in OI decided to be pro-barbaric dictators that rape and plunder their countries, chances are they'd have their restriction revoked. "He was a good commie all along!" :laugh:

[/totally sarcastic playing up to reactionary opinions joke troll thing]

But yeah, I've still not heard much about the progression on this on the news. Anybody got any of the latest updates? Has it spread elsewhere? And what are we looking at? Egyptian-style peaceful protests, or Libyan-style proto-civil wars? Or have they just fizzled out to nothingness?

[Viet Minh]

This rocks.

Like the Angolan civil war 'rocked'? I knwo you didn't say that exactly just reminding some people here of the hostorical context, ie the 27 year long bloody civil war that raged there. Yes btw I support regime change in Angola but not at the cost of more innocent lives.


Looks like the Islamo-Communist caliphate apocalypse is upon us

What does Islam have to do with Angola? The Muslim population is about 1%. And fuuu I just noticed the sarcasm, duh. Ignore me! :P


Right now the news is covering the ivory coast unrest much moreso than anything from angola, though didnt they just end a major period of civil unrest?

I agree with your sentiment, but as we watch this from our homes let's not forget that blood is flowing in Libya right now, and it has also been shed in many other countries fighting for freedom in this wave. That should always be kept in mind.

Well said, the ideological battle fought there did very little to improve the lives of ordinary Angolans. As it happens one of my good friends (a Socialist I have been trying to persuade to join revleft) is a refugee from the Angolan civil war.

[T-Paine]

I think it's great that the final dictators in the world are finally being taken down, and by their own citizens at that. This domino effect of democracy is clearly derived from the freedom of information that technology gives us. Seeing the dictators scramble to flip the switch on internet access should convince everybody that no one deserves that power, especially on the BS excuse of "in case of a national emergency."

Unfortunately the citizens of North Korea (most without internet access at all) have no idea what's going on. Some people in South Korea are attaching information about the revolutions on balloons and flying them over the border. :laugh: (I'd post a source if I could, but I don't have enough posts. Just search "north korea balloons" on Google News.)

[Hoplite]

This is really incredible, its amazing how fast things happen, and how quickly things spread.
One reason the internet is so vital.

[Havet]

The problem with Angola is that people just came from 40 or so years of civil war, they just want stability, so they are complacent with th current regime, which I can daresay its far more terrible than the one of Khadafi's.

[Bud Struggle]

The problem with Angola is that people just came from 40 or so years of civil war, they just want stability, so they are complacent with th current regime, which I can daresay its far more terrible than the one of Khadafi's.

One can almost posit an anti-Marx statement that the natural state of the human condition is dictatorship and terror. It seems to exist in the world more than any other state. I'm not saying it's good--but that seems to be the way most of the world operates.

Scarey stuff.

[ComradeMan]

Have you ever noticed how they are only evil dictators when they don't tow Washington's line....:laugh: I never remember all of this against say, Stroessner in Paraguay or anyone trying to topple Pinochet... or the Argentinian Junta. :ohmy: