Practices of Protest in Luanda, Angola: A Chronology of Recent Urban Change in Chicala

ABSTRACT

At the heart of this article is an investigation of the reciprocal relationship between the city of Luanda and one of its informal neighbourhoods, Chicala. The study situates Chicala among conflicts that have arisen in its urban densification process. It aims to understand the ‘slow’ and ‘small’ practices of protest acting in and around the case. These practices help to complexify the discourse on the city, bringing the local dwellers closer to the rest of the population – everyone reacts to change. Actions of protest are in themselves an expression of citizenship, they present alternative visions for Luanda’s future development.

KEYWORDS:

• Architecture
• protest
• chicala
• negotiation committee
• residents’ commissions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The doctoral research was funded by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. The thesis (2018) is titled ’This Neighborhood is an Endangered Species’: Investigating urban conflict and reciprocity between Chicala and Luanda, Angola”. More recently, I have been traveling to Angola as a member of the research project Africa Habitat, a partnership between University of Lisbon (Portugal), Agostinho Neto University (Angola) and Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique), funded by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and Aga Khan Development Network.

2. Pawson’s book In the Name of the People – Angola’s Forgotten Massacre presents rare, first–hand testimonies about the episode, which offer a viable explanation for the ‘enduring fear’ (Pawson, 2014, p. 151) among Angolans of criticizing the government or the ruling MPLA party, and the lack of public participation in Angola.

3. The article’s original title is ‘Governo de Luanda indica espaços para manifestações’ (Angop, 15/9/2011).

4. Article 47 of the Consitution of the Republic of Angola (Freedom to meet and demonstrate) states that: 1. Freedom of assembly and peaceful, unarmed demonstration shall be guaranteed to all citizens, without the need for any authorization and under the terms of the law.; 2. The appropriate authorities must be given advance notification of meetings and demonstrations held in public places, under the terms of and for the purposes established in law. There are several papers addressing the impact of urban policies in Luanda in the last decade. See Ruy Llera Blanes (2015), Chloé Buire (2017, 2018), Ricardo Cardoso (2017), Sylvia Croese (2016), Croese & Pitcher (2017), 2018), Claudia Gastrow (2016, 2017, 2020), Cristina Udelsmann Rodrigues (2017), Jon Schubert (2017), Sílvia Viegas (2015), S L. Viegas (2016), 2019).

5. In August 2012, the President’s party, MPLA, won the elections with 72% of the vote. In accordance with the new constitution, the MPLA’s victory meant that President dos Santos (in power for 33 years by that time) was elected President for his final mandate.

6. Economia & Mercado, issue no. 101, February 2013. Other newspapers and magazines dedicated extensive articles to the Baía de Luanda redevelopment, for instance, Rumo magazine (Issue 1, 2011).

7. Associação Kalu was named after the name given to residents of Luanda: Kaluandas. The association has been involved in organizing activities and events such as presentations and guided tours to raise awareness of the need to preserve the city’s building heritage. In recent years, the group’s struggle has centered also around the imminent threat of demolition to the Elinga theater in downtown Luanda, as well as the lack of public debate on the elaboration of the masterplan for Luanda 2015–2030.

8. The theater and cultural center, a hub for both alternative and established artists, was due to be demolished and replaced by Elipark, a car park, offices and a hotel. Angolan architect Angela Mingas was one of several highprofile figures to join the campaign.

9. Two more (female) activists were kept under house arrest, causing the case to be referred to in the mainstream media as the ‘15 + 2’ case.

10. For longer discussion on the role of the Residents’ committees, see Croese (2015).

11. More specifically, blocks 1 and 2 of the Modular Project.

12. Right to Compliance with the Law, Art. 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola; Right to Information, Art. 29, nº 2 and Art. 40, nº 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola; Right to Communication and Information, Art. 30 and 34 of Decree Law 16-A/95.

13. The SODIMO – Sociedade de Desenvolvimento Imobiliário (Real Estate Development Company) is a company created with the sole purpose of promoting and managing the ‘Luanda New City Center’, a real-estate project in the Chicala area. The masterplan was designed by Dar Al-Handasah (also known simply as Dar), a global building contractor company of Lebanese origin, operating in Angola since the 1980s. The company was officially founded on 1 November 2001 (Diário da República de Angola III SÉRIE, no. 50), as a mixed-capital venture in which Sonangol, the State-controlled oil company, and the private bank BAI (Banco Angolano de Investimentos) are the majority shareholders.

14. One of the President’s residences.

15. Recognition is due to some activist organizations such as SOS Habitat in Luanda, ACC in Lubango and Omunga in Lobito/Benguela. However, these organizations usually act after resettlements have taken place, often when contacted by victims of forced evictions.

16. Military control is even tougher during eviction processes.

17. Indeed, despite being in the area, I would have known nothing of the protest banners had I not been notified by an informant.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paulo Moreira

Paulo Moreira is a Porto-based architect and researcher. He gratuated from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto (Portugal), having studied also at the Accademia di architettura, in Mendrisio (Switzerland). He received his PhD from London Metropolitan University. Moreira is the co-coordinator of The Chicala Observatory, a project based at Agostinho Neto University (Angola) and currently he is a post-doctoral fellow in the research project Africa Habitat (Ref. 333121392), coordinated by the Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon, funded by FCT and AKDN (‘Knowledge for Development Initiative’ programme).