One of the youngest daughters of former Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos on Sunday remembered her father, “the father of the nation,” and thanked the government for supporting the family in holding the state funeral.
For Josián dos Santos, one of the daughters of the last woman, Ana Paula dos Santos, who collaborated with the government in carrying out the ceremony, José Eduardo dos Santos essentially took on the role of the father, “and builds an entire nation and then the continent he carries.”
“On behalf of my family, I thank all attendees who joined us in celebrating the life of the great man we lost,” he said, leaving “a tribute to the members of the Executive branch who made this day possible.”
“It is with a sad and deep heart of sorrow that today, as the representative of the bereaved family, we are all here and united to pay respects to our father,” said Josian dos Santos, arguing that “words are not enough to describe it.” Father’s character.
“I will not allow them to use your name in vain, for their own good” and “we will fight your battles with determination,” Josiane dos Santos warned, in a speech in a stifled, emotion-filled voice.
“Dad, your suffering is not in vain,” he said, citing “music and sports,” especially football, as his passion. “Your children will carry on your legacy,” he promised.
The funeral service for former Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos will conclude on Sunday, when he would have turned 80, with a state funeral attended by several presidents, including Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and diplomatic representatives from several countries.
Attending today’s festivities are Ana Paula dos Santos and her three children co-existing with the former head of state, as well as her other son, José Filomeno dos Santos “Zino”, for whom the Angolan judiciary has sentenced him to prison. His involvement in a corruption case is awaiting a decision on his appeal.
The funeral was also marked by the absence of the former president’s senior medical daughters, businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, who faces several issues in Angolan justice and in other countries, and former MPLA Chezy dos Santos, who has declared her support for the Angolan justice law and other countries. UNITA’s candidate for the Angolan presidency, Adalberto da Costa Jr., against the MPLA candidate and succeeded his father in the presidency, Joao Lourenço.
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