LUANDA, ANGOLA - Who knew? A relatively small but geographically prized region of Angola evidently broke away and declared independence eight years ago on May 21, 2000. The people of this small non-contiguous strip of land located north of the Congo River with some beautiful ocean front property that you just have to see, have always seen themselves as different from their Angolan countrymen to the south. They say they more closely relate to their northern and eastern neighbors in The Republic of Congo and The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly known as Zaire. For this reason, they gained their independence for a first round draft pick and a player to be named later.
The primary cause of the under-reporting of this major political move on the African continent has less to do with the lack of rich diamond resources in this region than it does with confusion over the name of the new nation - The Former Angolan Democratic Republic of Congo Not Angola Nor The Republic Of Congo Nor The Democratic Republic Of Congo.
The newly elected President Eduardo Jose dos Santos, not to be confused with his uncle President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, issued a white paper back in May of 2000 from the new country’s capital The Former Angolan Democratic Republic Of Congo Not Angola Nor The Republic Of Congo Nor The Democratic Republic Of Congo City, The Former Angolan Democratic Republic of Congo Not Angola Nor The Republic Of Congo Nor The Democratic Republic Of Congo.
Pointing to the fact that even the acronym (FADROCNANTROCNTDROC) is a bitch to say, international news organizations like Reuters and the BBC, which traditionally love to report on useless or otherwise upsetting stories from Africa, decided it was in everyone’s best interest to pretend like the whole thing never happened.
The world almost found out in August of 2000 when three middle distance runners from the new nation marched in the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games under the new red-yellow-green flag, not to be confused with the green-yellow-red flag of The Republic of Congo. Unfortunately for the fledgling country, that occurred during a commercial break.
President dos Santos, no not his Angolan uncle, forced the issue this month by taking out tourism ads in Times Square to visit his beautiful coastal capital city. In the campaign, celebrities including Clint Black and Sandra Bullock are seen singing the theme song I Love The Former Angolan Democratic Republic of Congo Not Angola Nor The Republic Of Congo Nor The Democratic Republic Of Congo to the tune of I Love NY.
