In Luanda with Biden: The Impact of the Presidential Visit on the Streets and Routines of Angolans
- Márcia Oliveira
- 3 de dez. de 2024
- 2 min de leitura
By Márcia Oliveira, reporting from Luanda
The Angolan capital, Luanda, is experiencing unusual days with the visit of United States President Joe Biden. Since his arrival on December 2, 2024, the city has turned into a stage of intense preparations and strict security measures, directly affecting the daily lives of its inhabitants.
Luanda in Suspension and Facade Improvements
With main avenues closed and a holiday hastily declared, Luanda's daily life came to a halt yesterday, December 2, and remains paused today, December 3. Benguela will come to a standstill tomorrow, December 4. In the usually bustling Luanda, commerce, which typically thrives with the vibrant energy of local markets, is silent. Schools and public offices have shut their doors, and the usually chaotic traffic has given way to empty streets, all measures to ensure Biden's visit proceeds without a hitch.
For many Luandans, this shutdown is a reminder of the power international events have to disrupt ordinary life. “We're stuck at home, isolated”; “there are no ATMs to make transfers,” commented my friends Zé and Ká; we are indeed at home, in the Belas municipality, in Luanda, waiting, like all Luandans, for the 'powerful elderly man' to let us resume our daily scenes. Thus, “Old man João Bidón (sic) arrived with... an aerial cavalry,” stated an Angolan on his Facebook page with nearly a thousand followers.
The concrete fact is that Luanda was spruced up, superficially, to receive the American visitors, as evidenced in the photo:
The Lobito Corridor and Geopolitics
Biden declared himself “proud” to be the first U.S. President to visit Angola. “ The United States is fully with Africa and Angola," the outgoing president further stated. However, at the heart of this visit is the Lobito Corridor, also known as the Benguela Railway (CFB). Tomorrow, December 4, 2024, Biden will meet with various African leaders in Lobito, the Angolan coastal city that has become a focal point for discussions on economic development and infrastructure on the continent. This meeting highlights the Lobito Corridor, an ambitious 1,300-kilometer project that seeks to integrate Angola with its neighbors, promoting regional trade and offering a strategic alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative. With a $5 billion investment, this corridor is not just a transportation route but also a symbol of renewed U.S. interest in strengthening its economic presence in Africa.
Hopes and Realities
While African leaders gather in Lobito (Benguela, Angola) to discuss the region's economic future, the population watches with a mix of hope and skepticism. There are expectations that Biden's visit could bring investments and opportunities, but there is also growing awareness of the immediate sacrifices imposed on ordinary citizens.
The real question many are asking is whether the benefits promised by the Lobito Corridor and the American presence will translate into tangible improvements for the Angolan people. For the residents of Luanda, what is perceived is that Biden's visit is a powerful reminder of the delicate balance between international diplomacy and local needs.
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