This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
Published on August 5, 2020, Angolans are increasingly turning to social media to express their discontent with President João Lourenço's governance.
President Lourenço, 64, took office in 2017, succeeding Eduardo dos Santos, marking the end of a 38-year reign of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).
However, online criticism could be a new challenge to MPLA's leadership, which has governed Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975.
The campaign, dubbed 'JLO 2022 vais gostar' or 'JLO (João Lourenço) 2022 you will like,' has amassed 3,276 members on Facebook since its launch at the end of July.
Participants in the campaign accuse President Lourenço of lacking the political will to solve basic problems such as hunger and poverty, as well as creating jobs for the youth.
“The expectations created in August 2017 when he was elected are becoming exhausted every day,” said João Samba, a participant in the campaign.
Not all followers of the campaign are critics of President Lourenço, however. Some are using the campaign to express their support for his governance.
