English T he historic struggle between the media and the government in Angola has for a long time been primarily driven by the constant need to obstruct inspection and hinder transparency, because the disclosure of any ill in Angola would uncover someone profiting handsomely from it, directly or indirectly. A well-articulated system of patronage has hitherto ensured that the system is cohesive and defended against accusations of corruption, counting on support from the government, the judiciary, the military and the business sector. This institutionalised architecture of corruption at the highest levels poses the biggest threat to meaningful change with the helm in the hands of its new president, João Lourenço. Against this background, a key development in Portugal brings welcome relief in the form of a ruling by the Lisbon Appeals Court, to the effect that Portugal can now investigate funds belonging to Angolan elites, regardless of whether or not such funds are the subject of a court case in Angola. Before this ruling, Portugal could investigate only cases where the funds were already the subject of an investigation in Angola. The new ruling however, states that as long as funds entering Portugal raise suspicion, then Portuguese authorities can look into their provenance and how they were obtained. Just before the general elections in August 2017, the Sindicato de Jornalistas Angolanos (SJA) criticised public media for being partial in its analysis programmes, with guests that overwhelmingly favoured the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) 14 So This is Democracy? 2017 position. The daily Jornal de Angola was spared, with SJA Secretary-General Cândido Teixeira citing its “exemplary performance”. ONG Handeka, an NGO created recently, monitored electoral coverage from 23-27 July 2017 and found that the state media favoured the MPLA. On the other hand, the former National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) radio transformed into Rádio Despertar, was accused of being biased in favour of UNITA. The historic struggle between the media and the government in Angola has for a long time been primarily driven by the constant need to obstruct inspection and hinder transparency, because the disclosure of any ill in Angola would uncover someone profiting handsomely from it, directly or indirectly.