Proud to be an American

As the American community here in Luanda prepares for our Independence Day celebrations, I am reminded that I am extremely lucky to have been born in a country that values freedom and democracy. These words are thrown around alot, but I don't think you can ever really appreciate what they mean utnil you experience what life is like without them.
In Angola, the government does not want the people to undermine the absolute authority that it currentlly enjoys. It doesn't want its people to be educated or informed aboout the world around them. President Dos Santos wants to continue his 32-year reign without opposition from the citizens or other political parties.  A presidential election will be held here on August 31st and it will most likely not be free and fair. As that day approaches, there has been a significant surge in political activity. It is easy to see why the people are dissatisfied. They are surrounded by wealth, yet live in extreme poverty. The President and his cronies live in lavish palaces while the rest of the country is surrounded by filfth and disease.
The most recent protest took place on June 20th. I was sitting at my desk at the university when I heard a commotion outside. I went over to the window and saw a stream of people walking down the street and chanting.  My colleague informed me that they were former soldiers from the civil war who had not received the pensions that were promised to them.  As we wacthed more and more people flood the streets, I became increasingly nervous .  I was scheduled to go to the embassy that afternoon but was told that would be impossible since the building was on lockdown. The protestors were moving in that direction.
I sat in my office, not knowing what to do and tryng not to panic. Was it safer to stay put or go home? A few hours passed and I was told that it was OK to leave. The drive home was eerily quiet and the streets were uncharacteristically empty. I made it home safely to find that the Internet was down, which is a pretty common occurrence so I didn't think much of it, until I found out the next day that it wasn't working throughout the entire city. Coincidence? By the way, the President's daughter owns the internet company.
Independent journalists were not allowed anywhere near the protests and those suspected of reporting the event had their cameras and cell phones taken away. Some say that 1 person died, while others say 2. Of course, all this information is hearsay due to the lack of freedom of the press. What we do know is that the government quickly shut down the protest with gunfire and teargas.

While Americans flock to beaches and BBQ's tomorrow, let's not forget that most of the world does not enjoy the simple freedoms that we have come to expect and that we so often take for granted.

This amateur video was posted on YouTube. As you can see, the police took swift action in dispersing the protesters.

I did manage to find one article about the event: Gunfire Used to Disperse Former Soldiers' Protest