Journalism in Angola: interview with José Luís Mendonça

“Social media opened the virtual interactive space to a massive opinion making about crucial issues. One of the major issues in Angola is the electoral process”, journalist says. Photo: courtesy

José Luís Mendonça is an Angolan journalist with a law degree from the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University, in Luanda. He is very accomplished in the Angolan journalistic field, where he gives voice to his social concerns, with special attention to culture and arts. Currently, he writes for the newspaper Correio Angolense.

Former director of the recently discontinued Cultura magazine, he is now a writer, and his literary production reflects concerns about people and life in his country. “Chuva Novembrina” (“November Rain” — free translation, 1981), “Respirar as Mãos na Pedra” (“Breathing Hands on Stones”, 1989) and “Quero Acordar a Alva” (“I Want to Wake the Alva Up”, 1997) are some of his award-winning works. Below, an interview with him.

Enio Moraes Júnior — In your last novel, “Se os ministros morassem no Musseque” (“If ministers lived in the Slums” — free translation, 2019), you turn to the issue of the liberation of Angola, a recurring theme in the literature of your country. How do you assess the current role of the local press in maintaining this memory?

José Luís Mendonça — The liberation of Africa is indeed a continuous quest. We, in Africa, aren’t free yet, despite having national and flag. The major way of endogenous governance is a complete negation of the liberation war. The…