Seeing is believing: Symbolic politics and the opportunities of non-democratic transition in Angola

Following the resignation of President José Eduardo dos Santos after 38 years in power, the August 2017 elections in Angola were peaceful, yet of questionable results and returned the ruling party, MPLA, to power. However, in his first three months in office, the new President, João Lourenço has proceeded to some high-profile reshuffles and symbolic actions that have induced a palpable sense of optimism in the broader population, which seemed hardly warranted before the elections. This article reassesses the outcome of the elections from an Angolan perspective, based on fieldwork carried out in the capital, Luanda and the northern province of UÃge shortly after the polls. By examining how certain actions become symbols and what those symbols enable among Angolan citizens, the article offers a discussion of the weight of symbolic politics and the opportunities for change under conditions that fall short of formal standards of democratic process