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People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Labour Party Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola - Partido do Trabalho
Leader	José Eduardo dos Santos
President	José Eduardo dos Santos
Founded	December 1, 1956
Headquarters	Luanda, Angola
Youth wing	Youth of MPLA
Ideology	Social democracy (self-declared)[1] 1977-1991: Marxism-Leninism (official)[1]
International affiliation	Socialist International
Seats in the National Assembly	191 / 220
Website
http://www.mpla-angola.org/
Politics of Angola Political parties Elections

The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Labour Party (Portuguese: Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola - Partido do Trabalho) is a political party that has ruled Angola since the country's independence from Portugal in 1975. The MPLA fought against the Portuguese army in the Angolan War of Independence of 1961-74, and defeated UNITA and the FNLA in the decolonization conflict 1974-75 and the Angolan Civil War of 1975-2002.

Formation[link]

On December 1, 1958, in Portuguese Angola (during the Estado Novo regime) the tiny underground Angolan Communist Party (PCA) merged with the small underground Party of the United Struggle for Africans in Angola (PLUA) to form the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, with Viriato da Cruz, the President of the PCA, as Secretary General.^[2][3] Later other groups merged into MPLA, such as Movement for the National Independence of Angola (MINA) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Angola (FDLA) ^[4].

The MPLA's core base includes the Mbundu ethnic group and the educated intelligentsia of the capital city, Luanda. The party formerly had links to European and Soviet Communist parties but is now a full-member of the Socialist International grouping of social democratic parties.

The armed wing of MPLA was the Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA). The FAPLA later became the national armed forces of the country.

In 1960 the MPLA joined the PAIGC, its fraternal party in Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde, in direct combat against the Portuguese empire in Africa. The following year, the expanded umbrella group CONCP replaced FRAIN, adding fellow Marxist-Leninists FRELIMO of Mozambique and the CLSTP, forerunner of the MLSTP of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Independence and civil war[link]

The Carnation Revolution in Lisbon, Portugal in 1974 established a military government that promptly ceased anti-independence fighting in Angola and agreed to hand over power to a coalition of three pro-independence Angolan movements. The coalition quickly broke down and the newly independent Angola broke into a state of civil war.

South Africa intervened militarily in favor of the conservative FNLA and UNITA, and Zaire and the United States also heavily aided the two groups. Cuba deployed thousands of troops in 1975 to aid the MPLA, with the Soviet Union aiding both Cuba and the MPLA government during the war. In November 1980, the MPLA had all but crushed UNITA, and the South African forces withdrew. The United States Congress barred further U.S. military involvement in the country, fearing another Vietnam-style quagmire.

Maintaining control over Luanda and the lucrative oil fields of the Atlantic coastline, the MPLA declared Angola's independence on November 11, 1975, the day the Portuguese abandoned the capital. Poet and freedom fighter Agostinho Neto became the first president upon independence, and he was succeeded by José Eduardo dos Santos in 1979.

At its first congress, in 1977, the MPLA adopted Marxism-Leninism as the party ideology and added Partido do Trabalho (Labour Party) to its name.^[1] After a violent internal conflict called Fractionism, it made it clear that it would follow the socialist, not the communist model. However, it maintained close ties with the Soviet Union and the Communist bloc, establishing socialist economic policies and a one-party state. Several thousand Cuban troops remained in the country to combat UNITA insurgents and bolster the regime's security.

This led to civil war with UNITA, which received varying degrees of support from the U.S. and South Africa in the 1980s. The war continued until 2002, when UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was killed. The two parties promptly agreed to a ceasefire, and a plan was laid out for UNITA to demobilize and become a political party.

In 1990, when the cold war ended, MPLA abandoned its Marxist-Leninist ideology and on its third congress, in December, the party declared social democracy to be its official ideology.^[1]

Electoral history[link]

In the 1992 elections, MPLA-PT won 53.74% of the votes and 129 out of 227 seats in parliament; however, eight opposition parties rejected the 1992 elections as rigged.^[5] In the next election, delayed until 2008 due to the civil war, the MPLA won 81.64% of the vote and 191 out of 220 parliamentary seats.^[6]

Human rights record[link]

The MPLA government of Angola has been acused of human rights violations by numerous international organisations, including Amnesty International^[7] and Human Rights Watch.^[8] Rudolph Rummel accused the MPLA of committing democide between 1975 and 1987, when between 100,000 and 200,000 Angolans were killed.^[9] Other incidences of human rights violations include the Halloween Massacre, where tens of thousands of UNITA voters were massacred nationwide by MPLA forces following the Angolan general election of 1992.^[5]

Party organizations[link]

At present, major mass organizations of the MPLA-PT include the Organização da Mulher Angolana (Angolan Women's Organization), União Nacional dos Trabalhadores Angolanos (National Union of Angolan Workers), Organização dos Pioneiros de Agostinho Neto (Organization of Pioneers of Agostinho Neto), and the Juventude do MPLA (Youth of MPLA).

Foreign support[link]

During both the Portuguese Colonial War and the Angolan Civil War, the MPLA received military and humanitarian support primarily from the governments of Algeria, Bulgaria, East Germany,^[10] Cape Verde Islands, Czechoslovakia,^[11] the Congo, Cuba, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, North Korea, the People's Republic of China, Romania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, ^[12] the Soviet Union, Sudan,^[11] Tanzania, Vietnam, and Yugoslavia. While China did briefly support the MPLA,^[13] it actively supported the MPLA's enemies, the FNLA and later UNITA, during the war for independence and the civil war. The switch was the result of tensions between China and the Soviet Union for dominance of the communist bloc, which almost led to war.^[14][15]

See also[link]

• History of Angola
• Cuba in Angola
• African independence movements
• List of current Angolan ministers (All MPLA)
• Mário Pinto de Andrade
• Anarchy in the U.K. (song by the Sex Pistols which mentions the MPLA)

Literature[link]

• Inge Brinkmann, War, Witches and Traitors: Cases from the MPLA's Eastern Front in Angola (1966-1975), Journal of African History, 44, 2003, pp. 303-325
• Mario Albano, Angola:una rivoluzione in marcia, Jaca Book, Milano 1972

References[link]

External links[link]

• (Portuguese) MPLA official site
• MPLA campaign site

v t e Political parties in Angola National Assembly Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (191) National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (16) Social Renewal Party (8) National Liberation Front of Angola (3) New Democracy Electoral Union (2) Unrepresented Angolan Democratic Forum Angolan National Democratic Party Democratic Angola – Coalition Democratic Party for Progress – Angolan National Alliance Liberal Democratic Party Democratic Renewal Party Party of the Alliance of Youth, Workers and Farmers of Angola Social Democratic Party Portal:Politics List of political parties Politics of Angola

Tapper Zukie (or Tappa Zukie) (born David Sinclair, 1955, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae deejay and producer.^[1]

Biography[link]

Tapper was the nickname given to him by his grandmother in his youth, while Zukie was a name that came from his friends' association as a young boy - their gang was called 'The Zukies'.^[1]

In 1973 his mother, concerned with Zukie's tendency to get into trouble, sent him to England to stay with some relatives.^[1] Producer Bunny Lee arranged with the UK-based entrepreneur Larry Lawrence for him to undertake some recording sessions and concerts, opening for U-Roy the day after his arrival in London.^[1] Zukie's first release was the single "Jump & Twist", produced by Lawrence.^[1] Around this time he also recorded material for Clem Bushay, which would later form part of the Man Ah Warrior album, issued in 1973.^[2]

Zukie returned to Jamaica, cutting "Judge I Oh Lord" for Lloydie Slim and "Natty Dread Don't Cry" for Lee.^[2] After an argument with Lee that resulted in the police being called, the two made peace with Lee giving Zukie some riddims to record over, and taking these and others from Joseph Hoo Kim, he toasted over them at King Tubby's studio, these forming the album MPLA (released in 1976).^[1][2]

The Man Ah Warrior album had gained Zukie a cult following in the UK, and he returned there in 1975, releasing the track "MPLA" as a single, which was sufficiently successful for Klik to issue the album of the same name in the UK.^[2] One notable fan of MPLA was Patti Smith, who gave Zukie a support slot on her UK tour, reissued Man a Warrior on her Mer label, and contributed sleeve-notes to his 1977 album Man From Bosrah.^[1][2]

This period of success allowed Zukie to set up his own 'Stars' record label, and he began to produce other artists, including Junior Ross & The Spear, Prince Alla, Errol Dunkley, Ronnie Davis, and Horace Andy.^[1] Two dub albums emerged in 1977: Escape From Hell and Tapper Zukie In Dub.

A deal with Virgin Records subsidiary Frontline saw the release of two further albums in 1978 - Peace In The Ghetto and Tapper Roots, while he also continued to release records on his Stars label in Jamaica.

After 1976, he concentrated on producing music in Jamaica, working with such reggae musicians as The Mighty Diamonds, Max Romeo, Ken Boothe, Sugar Minott and U-Roy.

In 1978 he scored a big hit with "Oh Lord", which spent six weeks on top of the Jamaican charts. Also popular that summer was "She Want a Phensic".^[1]

In the mid-1980s, Zukie was more prolific as a producer, working with artists such as The Mighty Diamonds, Sugar Minott, and Max Romeo.^[1] In 1986 he released a new album of his own, Raggamuffin.^[1] He continued to concentrate on production, although another album was released in 1996, Deep Roots.^[1]

Zukie has a few children, but only one is following in Zukie's footsteps. Noel Bonds aka BranNEW [1] is making his mark in the hip hop music industry.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Man a Warrior (1973), Klik
• M.P.L.A. (1976), Klik - reissued (1978), Virgin
• Escape From Hell (1977), Stars
• Tapper Zukie in Dub (1977), Stars
• The Man From Bozrah (1978), Stars
• Peace in the Ghetto (1978), Virgin
• Tapper Zukie International (1978), Stars
• Blackman (1978), Stars
• Tapper Roots (1978), Stars/Front Line
• Raggy Joey Boy (1982), Stars
• Earth Running (1983), Mobiliser
• People Are You Ready? (1983), Stars
• Ragamuffin (1986), World Enterprise
• Deep Roots (1996), RAS

Compilations[link]

• Living in the Ghetto, Stars
• Cork & Tar (2004), Tappa
• Dub 'Em Zukie (2004), Jamaican Recordings
• Musical Intimidator: The Anthology (2004), Trojan
• The Best of the Frontline Years (2004), Virgin
• From the Archives, RAS

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tapper Roots Discussion Radio 1's Mark and Lard discuss Tapper Zukies 'Tapper Roots' album cover.
• Discography at Roots Archives.

José Eduardo dos Santos
President of Angola
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 September 1979
Prime Minister	Fernando José de França Dias Van-Dúnem Marcolino Moco Fernando José de França Dias Van-Dúnem Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos Paulo Kassoma[1]
Vice President	Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos
Preceded by	Agostinho Neto
Personal details
Born	(1942-08-28) 28 August 1942 (age 69) Luanda, Overseas Province of Angola, Portugal [2]
Political party	Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
Spouse(s)	Ana Paula dos Santos (3rd wife)
Alma mater	Azerbaijan State Oil Academy
Religion	Roman Catholicism [3]

José Eduardo dos Santos (born August 28, 1942)^[4] is an Angolan politician and the current President of Angola, having come to power in 1979. As President, José Eduardo dos Santos is also the commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and president of the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola), the party that has been ruling Angola since it gained independence in 1975.^[5]

Life and career[link]

Eduardo dos Santos, born in the district of Sambizanga in Luanda,^[4] is the son of Avelino Eduardo dos Santos and Jacinta José Paulino, immigrants from São Tomé and Príncipe.^[6] He attended primary school in his neighborhood in Luanda, and received his secondary education at the colonial elite school Liceu Salvador Correia,^[7][8] today called Mutu ya Kevela. He began his political activity integrating clandestine groups that formed in suburban neighbourhoods of the capital, following the establishment on December 10, 1956 the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola).

While studying in school, José Eduardo dos Santos joined the MPLA, which marked the beginning of his political career. Due to the repression of the colonial government, dos Santos went into exile in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville in 1961. From there he collaborated with the MPLA and soon became an official member of the party. To continue with his education, he moved, once again, to the Soviet Union, where by 1969, he received degrees in petroleum engineering and in radar communications^[9] from the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute in Baku, Azerbaijan.^[10]

In 1970 he returned to Angola, which was still a Portuguese territory known as the Overseas Province of Angola, and joined the MPLA's guerrilla forces EPLA (Exército Para a Libertação de Angola) later on August 1, 1974 to be known as FAPLA (Forças Armadas Populares de Libertação de Angola), a branch of the MPLA, becoming a radio transmitter in the second political-military region of the MPLA in Cabinda Province. In 1974, he was promoted to sub commander of the telecoms service of the second region. He served as the MPLA's representative to Yugoslavia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the People's Republic of China before being elected to the Central Committee^[11] and Politburo of the MPLA in Moxico (province) in September 1974.^[6]

In June 1975, dos Santos became coordinator of the MPLA's Department of Foreign Affairs; he also coordinated the MPLA's Department of Health at this time. Upon Angolan independence in November 1975, the MPLA held power in Luanda, but the new MPLA government faced a civil war with the other political formations UNITA and FNLA; the civil war continued for most of the period until 2002. Dos Santos was appointed as Angola's first Minister of Foreign Affairs upon independence, and in this capacity he played a key role in obtaining diplomatic recognition for the MPLA government in 1975–76. At the MPLA's First Congress in December 1977, Eduardo dos Santos was re-elected to the Central Committee and Politburo. In December 1978, he was moved from the post of First Deputy Prime Minister in the government to that of Minister of Planning.^[6]

Dos Santos (fifth from the left) at the Brandenburg Gate during a 1981 state visit, with East German officials

After the death of Angola's first president, Agostinho Neto, on September 10, 1979, José Eduardo dos Santos was elected as President of the MPLA on September 20, 1979, and he took office as President of Angola, President of the MPLA, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on September 21. He was also elected as President of the People's Assembly on November 9, 1980.^[6]

On September 29 and September 30, 1992, elections occurred in Angola. José Eduardo dos Santos won the election against his main rival, Jonas Savimbi (49.5% vs. 40.7%), but since no candidate achieved the required 50% of the votes, a second round of voting was called. Savimbi then quit, alleging voting fraud, and immediately resumed the civil war, while José Eduardo dos Santos remained in office.

Dos Santos and the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, in 2003

Dos Santos with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev whilst the latter was on a state visit to Angola on 26 June 2009

In 2001, dos Santos announced that he would step down at the next presidential election.^[12] However, in December 2003 he was reelected as head of the MPLA^[13] and no further presidential election took place, despite these being announced for 2006,^[14] then 2007 and finally announced that the next presidential election would be held in 2009.^[15] After legislative election in 2008 in which the ruling MPLA won a landslide victory, the party started working on a new constitution that was introduced early in 2010. In terms of the new constitution, the leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament automatically becomes the president of the country.

In November 2006, Eduardo dos Santos adopted an initiative created by veteran Diamantaire, Dr. André Action Diakité Jackson, to launch the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), an intergovernmental offshoot of the African Diamond Council (ADC), consisting of approximately 20 African nations founded to promote market cooperation and foreign investment in the African diamond industry.^[16]

José Eduardo dos Santos married three times and has six children from his wives, and one born out of wedlock.^[17] He and his family have amassed a significant personal fortune. The actual value is unknown, but in recent years his daughter Isabel dos Santos, who manages the family fortune, has made multi-million dollar investments in Angola and in Portugal, in her name and that of her husband.^[18]

Since 2010 manifestations of protest against José Eduardo dos Santos are on record.^[19] José Eduardo dos Santos escaped an assassination attempt on 24 October 2010 when a vehicle tried to intercept his car as he was returning from the beach with his family. His escort opened fire killing two passengers in the vehicle, and weapons were found on board.^[20] This incident has not been confirmed by any other source. In February/March 2011, and then again in September 2011, public manifestations were organized in Luanda by young Angolans, mostly via internet (where violent criticisms of the President, and the regime he stands for, have become frequent).^[21]

See also[link]

• List of current Angolan ministers

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: José Eduardo dos Santos

• José Eduardo dos Santos the Untold Story
• Official webpage of MPLA

NB: Both links are partisan, though in opposite directions

v t e Ministers of External Relations of the Republic of Angola dos Santos • Jorge • dos Santos • M'Binda • van Dúnem • Moura • de Miranda • dos Anjos • Chicoti

v t e Presidents of Angola Agostinho Neto José Eduardo dos Santos

Eduardo Dos Santos (born October 14, 1983 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a Argentine footballer currently playing for CF La Piedad of the Liga de Ascenso in Mexico.

Teams[link]

• Estudiantes de Buenos Aires 2005
• Talleres de Remedios de Escalada 2005-2006
• Defensores de Belgrano 2006-2007
• Douglas Haig 2007-2008
• Almagro 2008-2009
• Rangers 2009
• Albinegros de Orizaba 2010-2011
• CF La Piedad 2011-

External links[link]

• Profile at BDFA Profile at

This biographical article related to Argentine football is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2006)

Lambros Konstantaras (Greek: Λάμπρος Κωσταντάρας; March 13, 1913 – June 28, 1985) was a Greek stage and screen actor, one of the best actors in Greece. Konstantaras was born in Athens on March 13, 1913. He studied acting in Paris and graduated in 1933, making his theatre debut in France in 1937. He debuted in Greece the following year. After working in several theatre groups he formed his own with Jenny Karezi, Maro Kontou and Nikos Rizos, often working together with such actresses as Ellie Lambeti, Aliki Vougiouklaki and others. However, Konstantaras was far better known as a film actor, playing leading roles in over 80 movies including "Η Αλίκη στο Ναυτικό" ("Aliki in the Navy") with Aliki Vougiouklaki and Dimitris Papamichail), "Η χαρτοπαίχτρα" ("The card-player") with Rena Vlachopoulou, "Η κόρη μου η σοσιαλίστρια" ("My daughter the socialist") and many more. In his youth, many of his roles were of a serious nature but later on in life he played almost exclusively comic roles usually as an executive or the father of the bride, etc. Lambros Konstantaras died on June 28, 1985.