Our literary tour of Angola explores the brutal fallout from independence, corruption and the resilience of the people
Agualusa’s novel, ostensibly about the life of Angolan poet and activist Lidía do Carmo Ferreira – who mysteriously vanished in Luanda in 1992 – depicts his country’s tortured history in the second half of the 20th century. Independence in 1975, after a long anti-colonial struggle against Portugal, brings cause for celebration but also marks the beginning of three decades of civil war.