Mercedes Sayagues
The Angolan Group of Reflection for Peace (Grupo Angolano de Refleixao para a Paz – Garp) is organising a national convention for peace to be held in September.
Garp is a coalition group of churches, intellectuals, trade unions, journalists and other members of civil society who insist that dialogue is the only way to end Angola’s 25-year-long civil war, Africa’s second longest war after Sudan’s.
In its founding document, Garp describes a country devastated by three wars. The first war is military, emptying the countryside of 1,9-million people and destroying Angola’s infrastructure.
The second is moral and psychological, tearing the social fabric of Angolan society, eroding the sense of patriotism and national sovereignty. The majority of people have succumbed to survival strategies which sustain the culture of violence, says Garp.
The third war is part of global economics which has turned vices such as corruption and greed into values. This has legitimised the culture of violence by reinforcing its values of individualism and selfish security.
Part of this war is the mortgage of Angola’s future by trading its oil and diamonds for dollars and weapons. These deals and contracts weaken the technical and administrative capacity of state institutions, with the acquired equipment and funds channelled towards personal gain.
In the cities, bureaucrats rob the state. In the countryside, soldiers steal from people. The war of dispossession has reached a stage which makes everyone vulnerable in the face of the power of the gun.
The national convention for peace aims to become the national platform of groups and individuals working together for peace. Garp is led by pastor and theologian Daniel Ntoni-Nzinga.