I have a right to | 大象传媒 World Service

Filipe Correia de S谩 - Portuguese for Africa

Reporter's Story

For this project, I went to Angola. I found a very disorganised-organised society.

Luanda is an overcrowded city. It was designed for 600,000 inhabitants but because of the war, it has more than 3 million.

The first thing I noticed in Luanda was the situation of the displaced people. At the same time, I noticed that the people are very aware of their rights. They have begun to speak and demand them.

Article 13: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Displaced People

The problem of the displaced people brings together the whole human rights situation in Angola because it involves all ages of the population and all kinds of human rights abuses, from lack of education to little access to health services.

Women and children are in the worst situation. The women don't have the preparation to get good jobs and, at the same time, they have to take care of children. It's a circle of problems and it's very difficult to get out of it.

Overcrowding

I went to the Transit Camp for the Displaced People of Provinces of Bengo, Huambo and Bie, in the outskirts of Luanda. This camp is for 2,500 people. They live in 65 tents. There is one latrine which is not enough for 2,500 people. Around the tents you see signs of faeces.

The displaced people say that the medical attention is poor. There is malaria, cholera and dysentery.

The camp was set up in 1992 by the government. Some of the displaced were from the north of Angola and fled the war in Bie and Huambo. Others are Angolans living in the Congo. They tried to come back to Angola but found their homeland had become war zones.

The displaced have to buy their water. They get their money by selling articles, handicrafts, soft drinks and food. Where they get these articles was difficult to find out; there is a black market. There are also some cases of prostitution among young girls.

There are also NGO's that help the displaced but sometimes they have disputes.

Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

The Right to a House

I talked to the members of the commission responsible for the camp about the day-to-day lives of the people. I also talked to the residents: men, women and children.

A girl, who was about 17 years old, said to me, "We have the right to have a house." I hadn't even mentioned the word rights in my conversation.

The children sang music. They had written songs about their lives in the camp, what they feel, losing their parents and their home. They have a very good notion of what they need and want, and who can help them.

Making a Difference

I was surprised to see a group of about 100 children taking lessons on human rights. The lessons were given by Corpo de Apoio aos Deslocados, or CAD, an NGO that works with displaced children.

The children also portrayed the camp environment through a theatre play. During two hours, they presented four stories about what happens when a child is sick in the camp. His parents go to the police in search for help. There is only one policeman and he doesn't have a car to take them to the hospital. The parents then go to an NGO but the NGO has problems. By the time they reach the hospital, the child is dead.

To represent this, the children formed a circle. A child is in the centre, acting as the sick child. The circle is formed by a policeman, a neighbour, an activist working for an NGO, and other institutions of the state and civil society.

Everything Involves Human Rights

At some point I realised that everything involves human rights. I pinned down the structure of my radio programmes when I talked to the children in the refugee camp, because I realised that they know what human rights are. They gave me a path to follow.

When I interviewed former street children in Luanda, who had formed an Association for the Street Children of Palanca, I also learned a lot. That was another school for me.

Awareness

Now, after 20 years of experience with war and a very tough police regime, people in Angola are very aware of their rights and are organising themselves. It's not an individual task; they work in groups. There is a very energetic movement; people are going for their rights with a very strong will.

There is evidence of preparation and good skills. Angolans and NGO's have been living and working with many different problems for a long time. They know a lot.

Eighty percent of Angolans do not read but when you speak to them, they know what human rights abuses means; they know what they need.

The lack of the freedom of press, information and education are very bad for society but when I was in Angola I discovered that it doesn't silence people. It doesn't eliminate the possibility to learn and to go forward.

	Other Producers: Bengali Burmese French for Africa Indonesian Pashto Persian Portuguese for Africa Sinhala Somali Uzbek 大象传媒 Sites: External Sites: The 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of external internet sites		Filipe Correia de S谩 - Portuguese for Africa Reporter's Story For this project, I went to Angola. I found a very disorganised-organised society. Luanda is an overcrowded city. It was designed for 600,000 inhabitants but because of the war, it has more than 3 million. The first thing I noticed in Luanda was the situation of the displaced people. At the same time, I noticed that the people are very aware of their rights. They have begun to speak and demand them. Article 13: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Displaced People The problem of the displaced people brings together the whole human rights situation in Angola because it involves all ages of the population and all kinds of human rights abuses, from lack of education to little access to health services. Women and children are in the worst situation. The women don't have the preparation to get good jobs and, at the same time, they have to take care of children. It's a circle of problems and it's very difficult to get out of it. Overcrowding I went to the Transit Camp for the Displaced People of Provinces of Bengo, Huambo and Bie, in the outskirts of Luanda. This camp is for 2,500 people. They live in 65 tents. There is one latrine which is not enough for 2,500 people. Around the tents you see signs of faeces. The displaced people say that the medical attention is poor. There is malaria, cholera and dysentery. The camp was set up in 1992 by the government. Some of the displaced were from the north of Angola and fled the war in Bie and Huambo. Others are Angolans living in the Congo. They tried to come back to Angola but found their homeland had become war zones. The displaced have to buy their water. They get their money by selling articles, handicrafts, soft drinks and food. Where they get these articles was difficult to find out; there is a black market. There are also some cases of prostitution among young girls. There are also NGO's that help the displaced but sometimes they have disputes. Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. The Right to a House I talked to the members of the commission responsible for the camp about the day-to-day lives of the people. I also talked to the residents: men, women and children. A girl, who was about 17 years old, said to me, "We have the right to have a house." I hadn't even mentioned the word rights in my conversation. The children sang music. They had written songs about their lives in the camp, what they feel, losing their parents and their home. They have a very good notion of what they need and want, and who can help them. Making a Difference I was surprised to see a group of about 100 children taking lessons on human rights. The lessons were given by Corpo de Apoio aos Deslocados, or CAD, an NGO that works with displaced children. The children also portrayed the camp environment through a theatre play. During two hours, they presented four stories about what happens when a child is sick in the camp. His parents go to the police in search for help. There is only one policeman and he doesn't have a car to take them to the hospital. The parents then go to an NGO but the NGO has problems. By the time they reach the hospital, the child is dead. To represent this, the children formed a circle. A child is in the centre, acting as the sick child. The circle is formed by a policeman, a neighbour, an activist working for an NGO, and other institutions of the state and civil society. Everything Involves Human Rights At some point I realised that everything involves human rights. I pinned down the structure of my radio programmes when I talked to the children in the refugee camp, because I realised that they know what human rights are. They gave me a path to follow. When I interviewed former street children in Luanda, who had formed an Association for the Street Children of Palanca, I also learned a lot. That was another school for me. Awareness Now, after 20 years of experience with war and a very tough police regime, people in Angola are very aware of their rights and are organising themselves. It's not an individual task; they work in groups. There is a very energetic movement; people are going for their rights with a very strong will. There is evidence of preparation and good skills. Angolans and NGO's have been living and working with many different problems for a long time. They know a lot. Eighty percent of Angolans do not read but when you speak to them, they know what human rights abuses means; they know what they need. The lack of the freedom of press, information and education are very bad for society but when I was in Angola I discovered that it doesn't silence people. It doesn't eliminate the possibility to learn and to go forward.