The issue of Cabinda presents a striking contrast in Central Africa, where a population deeply convinced of its right to independence coexists with an Angolan state apparatus that prioritizes work, force, and method over symbolic gestures. According to Osvaldo Franque Buela, a writer and pan-Africanist, the legitimacy of Cabinda's aspirations, shaped by history, geography, and a profound sense of confiscated sovereignty, cannot be contested.
However, Buela argues that faith and historical resentment, no matter how sincere, cannot replace a political strategy. While Cabinda's people nurture hopes of liberation based on militant romanticism, the Angolan regime, led by João Lourenço and the MPLA, methodically works to suppress reality through strict security control, opaque management of oil flows, diplomatic blockades, and co-optation of local intellectual elites.
Buela believes that participating in Angola's general elections or making a speech at the UN will not change the course of events, as the centralized political system in Luanda will not grant self-determination through ballots or diplomatic miracles. He thinks that Cabinda has reached a crucial moment in its history, requiring a shift from militant rhetoric to political engineering, and that all political movements in Cabinda must collectively undertake their own cultural revolution.
To break the impasse, Buela advocates for immediate strategic changes, including abandoning the fraudulent electoral system in Luanda and ceasing to serve as an electoral instrument for Angolan political parties. He also suggests transcending the cult of acronyms and leaders, prioritizing the cause over factions, and subordinating historical rivalries to a common objective.
Buela proposes that Cabinda's struggle should be professionalized, replacing emotional rhetoric with proactive diplomacy, legal procedures grounded in international law, and direct pressure on multinational companies operating in the territory. He supports the convocation of a consensus or unified territorial body, truly unifying and emanating from the people, to overcome collective paralysis.
This proposed body should not be a platform for lamentations or score-settling but an executive and representative structure tasked with unifying diplomatic voices, coordinating peaceful civil resistance, and presenting a clear and viable social project for the territory's future. Buela emphasizes that Cabinda's freedom must result from its people's discipline, strategy, and organizational capacity, not a gift from Luanda's regime or international charity.
Ultimately, Buela stresses that having a just cause or glorious history does not guarantee sovereignty; it requires organization and concrete action to transform conviction into power. He draws on the experience of successful liberation movements, which have applied rigorous institutional methodologies, including building unified and representative leadership, technical and legal capacity, and diplomatic strength based on mutual interests.
Key points
- Cabinda's struggle for independence requires a unified and strategic approach.
- The current situation in Cabinda is characterized by Angola's centralized control and suppression of reality.
- A new approach, prioritizing political engineering and collective action, is necessary to achieve Cabinda's goals.
