Ricardo Soares de Oliveira

This book provides an excellent vantage point from which to assess Angola, in the light of the fall in the oil price, “the only opposition party capable of unseating the MPLA”. It complements (and reprises) the original and insightful analyses of the author on Sonangol and Angola’s oil economy published since 2007. It is an engaging and easy read. The book includes many useful references – in English as well as in Portuguese and French. Jose Eduardo Agualusa’s stunning satire O Vendedor de Passados is mentioned in passing. Attention should be drawn to the superb English translation by Daniel Hahn: The Book of Chameleons (Arcadia Books (2007)/ available on Kindle). It was an earlier article by Soares De Oliveira that introduced me to this other amazing author!… (more)